The Other Side Of The Mirror
by sophie-the-duchess
Summary: After Kagome inadvertently dabbles in some black magic, she ends up switching bodies with the one person she loathes most of all: Inuyasha, her boyfriend's insufferable roommate. [Modern AU, body swap, InuKag with a touch of KogaKag/InuKik]
1. Chapter 1

One dress. Just _one_ dress was all that Kagome had needed. Yet– _somehow_ – her friends had roped her into not only buying a new dress, but also coordinating shoes, jewelry, and a matching purse for a complete ensemble. What was supposed to be a quick hour-long trip to the mall had effortlessly become an all-day affair– a phenomenon that seemed to occur frequently when her group of gal pals were involved.

"What about this?" Kagome asked, holding up a peach-colored cardigan with brass buttons that ran up the front.

Yuka, the shortest of the trio of women surrounding Kagome, stuck out her tongue and made a face of disgust.

"Are you going on a date or a to a job interview?" she admonished; when she shook her head, her short, brunette hair bounced. "That's too conservative."

"Really? I think it's cute." Kagome inspected the sweater closer. "Plus, I don't really like exposing my bare shoulders. And that dress we decided on exposes… well, more than just my shoulders."

After hours of deliberation, Kagome had settled on a tight burgundy number that hugged her barely-there curves, with ruching at the waist and a plunging neckline; it was far more revealing than Kagome was comfortable with, but still covered more than some of the other dresses her friends had picked out for her to try on. Kagome had also selected and purchased a pair of strappy black heels, a glittery gold clutch purse, and a tiny pink rhinestone pendant on a gold vermeil chain with matching stud earrings.

At her own insistence, however, they were still shopping for something with which Kagome could cover up.

"You always did like dressing like a frumpy grandma," Yuka teased. With a scowl, Kagome placed the sweater back on the rack.

"What about a sexy shawl?" Eri, the dark-haired girl beside Yuka, suggested.

"I don't know why you guys think I need to dress so _sexy_ for tonight," Kagome groaned; she covered her face with her hands to hide her flushed cheeks. "We're just going out for dinner."

"Yes, but you _did_ say that he said that he has something important to ask you," Ayumi said. She was the most soft-spoken of Kagome's friends, and Kagome appreciated the curly-haired woman's calm and thoughtful demeanor more often than not.

" _And_ it's going to be at the restaurant where you two had your first date," Yuka chimed in.

Eri clasped her hands together excitedly. "Do you think he's going to propose?"

Kagome choked. "After only six months? No way. We haven't even… you know… _done it_ yet."

She felt her face flush even redder; she couldn't believe that she was even bringing it up, but it was true; although she and her boyfriend Koga had been going steady for almost six months already, they had yet to have sex.

Yuka only shrugged. "Lots of people save themselves for marriage. Maybe Koga just can't wait anymore."

"Oh, is that why you guys haven't had sex yet? Because you're waiting for marriage?" Ayumi blinked innocently.

Kagome felt her eye twitch. "I'm not s-saving myself for marriage."

"Ohh, so _he's_ the one who's saving himself." Eri nodded her head as though she understood.

Flustered, Kagome waved her hands in front of herself. "Nobody is waiting for marriage! It just… hasn't happened yet."

"Well, have you even told him that you love him?" Yuka inquired with an eyebrow raised. When Kagome sheepishly shook her head, her friend sighed.

"There's your problem. _Do_ you love Koga?"

Kagome tensed. "I care for him. A lot. I'm just not sure… I mean, he says it so effortlessly. I want to be absolutely sure before I say it back."

Her trio of friends nodded in unison; they understood.

As though it sensed her desperation for a change in the topic of conversation, Kagome's stomach erupted in a series of rumbles; she didn't realize how famished she was until now.

"I'm _starving,_ " she groaned out loud. "Is it time for lunch yet?"

"I could eat, too," Eri agreed. The other two followed suit, and within moments they made their way towards the front of the department store and out into the mall concourse.

They settled on their usual spot since high school: a fast food joint in the mall's food court that served the usual American fare of burgers and fries. Kagome, not wanting to overdo it before her dinner date with Koga, only ordered a small fry and a soda to tide her over.

"What's that?" Yuka piped up suddenly between sips of her drink, the straw making a noisy slurping sound. "Must be new."

Kagome followed her friend's gaze to see an arcade game of sorts nestled in the corner of the empty food court that had never been there before.

"Is it a vending machine?" Ayumi asked.

Kagome peered closer; a sign reading KANNA'S MIRROR flashed across the top in silver.

"I think it's one of those fortune teller things. Like in that old movie where the guy gets turned into an older version of himself."

Yuka gasped and jumped to her feet, her chair tipping backwards and hitting the floor with a metallic clang.

"We should ask it about you and Koga!"

"I don't really think that's how it works– _ack!_ "

Before Kagome could finish her protest, Yuka was dragging her by the arm to the machine. Eri and Ayumi followed closely behind. The animatronic fortune teller, which looked like a pale, white-haired little girl, watched them approach with beady black eyes from inside the glass and metal box that housed it. It was holding a mirror, and Kagome's nervous reflection warped as it stared back at her.

"It's sort of creepy," Kagome said.

"'Kanna?' What kind of name is that?" Ayumi asked curiously as she read the sign.

Eri visibly shivered. "It means 'God of Nothingness.' This thing gives me the heebie jeebies."

"Oh come on, guys, it's just a silly toy," Yuka scoffed.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Then why are we even bothering with it?"

Searching around in her purse, Yuka produced a single silver coin, holding it up with a grin. "For funsies."

Without another word, she pressed the coin into Kagome's palm and shoved her forward to stand in front of the machine. Sighing, she dropped the coin into the slot, listening as it bounced inside the register with a clink. Moments passed. Kagome waited. The machine remained still and silent.

"I think it's broken," Eri mused.

"Maybe it's voice activated," Yuka suggested. "Try asking about Koga."

Swallowing thickly, Kagome struggled to phrase what she wanted to ask. Should she ask if Koga was planning on proposing? Should she ask if she should marry Koga? What exactly did she want to find out?

 _Stupid,_ she thought. _It's not like it matters. The machine isn't sentient._

"Is– am I– are Koga and I meant to be?" she spit out at last in haste.

The fortune teller didn't move. Kagome half-expected it to light up or play music or _something,_ but instead there was only a single click as a narrow strip of paper popped out the from the fortune slot on the front. Reaching down, Kagome pulled the paper free to read it. Curious, her friends crowded around her.

"Well, what does it say?" Yuka demanded impatiently.

 _Your soulmate will appear at midnight._

"My soulmate will appear at midnight?" Kagome questioned aloud. She hadn't misread; it was printed in plain black-and-white letters.

Ayumi gasped. "Oh my."

"That's too relevant to be a coincidence," Eri said. "It _must_ be talking about Koga."

Yuka shrieked and pumped a fist in the air in victory. "My girl Kagome's gonna get hitched!"

A group of passersby jumped in fright at Yuka's sudden outburst; Kagome shot them an apologetic look.

"Keep it down!" she scolded. "It's not real."

"Real enough for me," Yuka laughed with a smug smile. "Koga's your soulmate. I knew it."

Kagome frowned at the piece of paper in her hand. Was Koga her soulmate? She wasn't sure. Either way, she didn't feel the least bit giddy or excited about the prospect.

 _It's just a stupid fortune,_ she reminded herself. _It's not real._

She tucked the scrap of paper into her pocket and forgot about it.

–

Koga picked up Kagome at her apartment around a quarter to seven, greeting her at the door to her apartment building with a kiss on the cheek. When he growled appreciatively at the sight of her, Kagome blushed, her fingers fiddling self-consciously with the pink jewel around her neck. Although she had found the perfect black shawl in her closet with which her cover her shoulders, she had also dabbed on a touch of mascara and lip gloss and curled her long, black tresses with a curling iron before pinning them in a half-up style, leaving her feeling more out of her comfort zone than usual. It wasn't that Kagome didn't _like_ to dress up or be glamorous for an evening out– she just preferred not to.

"You look ravishing," Koga said. His hands roamed to her arms and the shawl slipped from her shoulders, resting sultrily around her elbows. He was dressed handsomely as well, in a silver three-piece suit with a black satin button-up shirt and dark red tie; around his left wrist, he wore a gold chain-link watch.

Kagome cursed to herself; they _matched._

"Shouldn't we get going?" she suggested anxiously. "Any more time spent here admiring my outfit and we'll miss our reservation."

Koga smirked. "I'm not worried about it."

Despite the nonchalance of his words, he offered his arm to his lady and lead her to the waiting car, securing her in the passenger seat before climbing in to drive.

The drive to the hibachi restaurant was brief and uneventful, as Koga and Kagome made small talk about their respective days, and upon entering the dimly-lit building they were immediately escorted by the wait staff to a table near the back; the very same table, Kagome noted, that they had been seated at for their first ever date. Her stomach lurched.

A passing waitress offered them a pair of menus and promised to be back to take their food orders. Another server, without being prompted, came forth to fill their wine glasses, setting the bottle down before bowing and leaving the couple in peace. It gave Kagome the sinking feeling that Koga had planned all of this ahead of time.

 _He really_ is _going to propose,_ she thought with fear.

Eager to calm her jittery nerves, Kagome took a healthy sip of her wine, resisting the urge to gag as the deep purple liquid burned a bittersweet trail down her throat.

"I still can't believe that a girl as wonderful and beautiful as you ever agreed to a date with a scoundrel of a wolf demon like me," Koga started dreamily, his blue eyes focused intently on Kagome. "And now, here we are, months later and still going strong."

Not wanting to be rude, Kagome set down the menu that she had been perusing on the table and nodded to show that she was listening. Her eyes darted around the room, wishing for another server to appear to interrupt them.

"We've been together for about six months now," he continued. "Actually, tonight at midnight will be _exactly_ our six-month anniversary."

It was their anniversary? Kagome hadn't even realized.

"You know that I love you, Kagome. And I want to be with you– all of the time. So, it only seems logical that we take the next step. That's why I wanted to ask you…"

"Oh god," Kagome sputtered before she could stop herself, burying her face in her hands. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing Koga to propose anything but marriage. She wasn't sure how she would react if he asked her.

"Will you… move in with me?"

Kagome's brown eyes snapped open. She peeked at him from between her fingers.

"M-move… in with you?"

She said the words slowly, as though she had misheard him. Koga chuckled nervously.

"I mean, yeah. I know you don't like to spend the night at my place because none of your things are there, but if you moved in then everything would be there…"

A buzzing sound filled Kagome's ears as relief washed over her body; he wasn't proposing. He wasn't going to ask her to marry him.

But Koga was her boyfriend. Why was she so relieved that he didn't want to marry her? Was it because Kagome didn't want to marry him?

"... and then you wouldn't need to pay for your apartment anymore. I own my house straight up, so you could live with me rent-free. It makes more sense financially. Kagome?"

She turned her attention back to Koga, blinking rapidly to clear her mind. "Sorry, I just… but what about your roommate?"

Koga shrugged, his black ponytail falling over his shoulder. "I'd kick him out. I'd rather live with you than that mangy mutt any day."

He smiled at her for reassurance, baring his fangs.

"I don't know, Koga. It seems too soon to move in," Kagome answered finally. "I don't want to move too fast. Besides, I like my little apartment. It's taken me years to decorate it the way I want it."

Koga's smile slipped from his face, his pointy ears drooping at hearing her rejection. It hurt Kagome to know that she had upset him. Reaching across the table, she took Koga's hand in her own in a gesture of comfort.

"We still have plenty of time. If this– if we are truly meant to be, then it'll happen. In the meantime, let's just enjoy what we have right now. Okay?"

Sighing in defeat, Koga managed a small smile for the gorgeous, kindly young woman seated across from him. "You're right. I can't say that I'm happy about it, but you're right. We can take as much time as you need. I don't want to rush you."

He gave her hand a squeeze and Kagome smiled back at him, feeling even more relieved than she had expected that she would; she hoped that Koga wouldn't notice.

–

After dinner and a few more glasses of wine, Koga and Kagome left the restaurant and headed to Koga's house for a nightcap. Ever the gentleman, Koga escorted his dark-haired beauty through the front door and into the foyer, taking her shawl and clutch for her to hang them in the coat closet. Koga then gave his girlfriend a peck on the forehead before disappearing to the other side of the house to prepare their drinks; a whiskey on the rocks for himself, and a hot chamomile tea for Kagome.

As soon as he was out of sight, Kagome bent down and slipped a finger into the strap of her slingback pumps, first one and then the other, to pull them off, letting out a satisfied breath when she was finally free of the painful foot traps. Her bare feet sunk into the plush fibers of the entryway rug and she gave her toes a squeeze, allowing them to stretch until she began walking again.

Koga's house was old, but charming, consisting of two stories with three bedrooms and one-and-a-half bathrooms. He had purchased it shortly after landing his first job out of college, and had explained to Kagome that he was waiting until his savings built back up before starting any updates or renovations. That also explained why he had– against his better judgment– gone ahead and gotten a roommate to help with the bills not long after moving in.

Kagome could hear the white noise of the television set coming from the other room, and entered the darkened living room to see Koga's roommate sprawled out on the sofa with his feet propped up on the armrest, lying along the length of the couch so that his silvery hair was hanging over the edge. He was shirtless, dressed in only a pair of red flannel pajama pants, and had a bowl of potato chips balanced on his abs. His dog-like ears twitched upon hearing Kagome's footsteps approach; his amber irises flicked to her briefly, acknowledging her presence, then returned to his show.

"Oh, it's you," he gruffed between a mouthful of chips. More of them seemed to fall to the floor than made it to his mouth. "I thought I smelled Koga's bitch."

"Yes, it's me," Kagome huffed with indignity. "My name is Kagome. Koga's _girlfriend_. Don't act like you don't know by now."

He only shrugged; Kagome rolled her eyes. As hotheaded and aggressively-masculine as Koga could get sometimes, his roommate was a thousand times worse.

" _Inuyasha!_ " Koga barked as he stormed into the room, flicking on the lights; his roommate cringed at the sudden brightness. "What have I told you about eating on the couch?"

"Chill out, Koga, I'll clean up when I'm finished."

"You always say that, but you never do. I'm always the one who ends up cleaning after you!"

Inuyasha groaned. "Maybe I don't clean it up _right away,_ but I'll clean it up eventually. We don't all go by your schedule."

"You don't go by _anyone's_ schedule, you slob. The last time you made instant ramen you left your garbage on the coffee table for _four days!_ "

"Jeez, don't snap at me just because you're frustrated that your girlfriend won't put out."

Koga clenched his teeth; Kagome could see his balled fists vibrate at his sides with barely-restrained fury. "I never said that."

"You didn't have to." Inuyasha smirked and popped another chip into his mouth, biting down with an audible crunch. "I can smell your heat from a mile away. You want to mount her, but she's keeping you in the doghouse. No wonder you've been so pissy."

Kagome felt her face heat to an unfathomable temperature; how _dare_ he speak about her that way.

"Fuck you, man," Koga snapped. He jabbed a claw-tipped finger in Inuyasha's direction. "If I didn't need a roommate, I'd kick you out faster than you could say, ' _Sit, boy!'_ "

Kagome felt the sting of guilt in her heart; if she had agreed to living with Koga, he'd have been able to kick Inuyasha out right then and there. Every time she came over she witnessed some sort of spat between the two men. There was even the time that she and Koga had been cuddling on the couch watching a movie that had somehow ended in him and Inuyasha throwing furniture at each other. It made her wonder if there was ever a moment where they got along or lived side-by-side in peace.

 _It's not your fault that Inuyasha is such a selfish, inconsiderate person,_ she reminded herself. _Or that Koga is too controlling and hardheaded for his own good._

"Well you _do_ need a roommate, so that's too bad for you, huh?" Inuyasha sneered with finality, reaching for the TV remote. He turned up the volume to indicate that the conversation was finished.

Fuming, Koga turned to Kagome, and grasped her face in his hands; caught off guard, it took Kagome a moment to comprehend that his lips were suddenly pressed to hers, kissing her. It was a heated kiss that made Kagome dizzy, and she had to hold on to Koga to stay standing upright. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Inuyasha scowling at them. It was an expression of disdain, but there was something else in his look– was it jealousy?

When Koga broke the kiss with a quiet smack, he took Kagome by the hand. "Come on, babe, your tea is ready."

He led her to the kitchen without another word to Inuyasha.

"You know, you don't need to do that," Kagome started as Koga handed her a mug of steaming tea.

"Do what?" Koga asked, the question coming out harsher than he intended.

"Claim me in front of Inuyasha," she said quietly. Goosebumps appeared on her flesh, despite the warmth of the kitchen, and she rubbed her arm with her free hand in an attempt to make them go away. "That kiss… in front of him… I'd rather not be used as a pawn in your little rivalry. And it's not like Inuyasha would ever try to make a move on me, anyway."

Koga allowed his tense shoulders to relax. "Yeah, well, better safe than sorry."

And then: "It's just my instinct, you know."

Kagome nodded in understanding. "I don't know how you deal with him."

"Just gotta remind him who's the alpha male around here." Koga polished off his glass of whiskey in one gulp. "I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"It's alright." Kagome took a sip of her own drink, but her throat was too tight– her body still on edge from the confrontation with Inuyasha– for her to swallow properly. As though he sensed her heightened state, warm fingers wrapped around her wrist, easing the mug out of her hands and setting it aside before Koga's hard body pushed her back against the counter.

"Kagome…"

She dared to peer up at Koga from beneath her thick, black lashes, feeling her stomach coil at seeing his lusty eyes gazing down at her.

"You look so… in this dress… I want to rip it off of you." He pressed his hips forward until they were flush with her front. "I want to claim you tonight. I want to make you my woman."

She had previously pondered what an intimate evening with Koga would be like, but every time she thought about it, she came up with some excuse as to why she shouldn't go through with the act.

Kagome turned her focus downward to stare at her feet. "I'm not ready, Koga. I'm sorry."

"If you're worried about your first time, don't be. I'll make it good for you. I promise."

"It's not that, it's just…" Kagome trailed off, struggling to say the words. _I'm not sure if I'm in love with you._

"... I need more time."

Koga nuzzled his nose against her own.

"Are you _sure_ that I can't convince you to spend the night?" he pleaded with a rise of his eyebrows. "Or move in with me?"

Kagome shook her head. "Not tonight. It's nearly midnight, already. I really should be getting home."

Koga sighed and released her wrist, stepping away from her; he didn't even try to hide the disappointment in his voice. "I'll call you a cab."

Kagome mumbled her thanks as Koga left the room. Minutes later, Inuyasha entered; she braced herself, waiting for some snarky comment or evil remark but he said nothing. Kagome figured that she should try to level with him while they had the opportunity.

"Hey, Inuyasha," she began. "I know that we don't know each other that well, and I'm not sure if I've done something to offend you or make you hate me, but I'm sorry if I have."

Inuyasha snorted, keeping his back turned to her as he rummaged in the cabinets. After a moment he found what he had been searching for and pulled out a large bottle of whiskey, swishing the amber liquid around in the glass.

"Hey, I'm _talking_ to you," Kagome continued with impatience, tapping her foot on the tile floor. How rude of him; the least he could do would be to answer her or give her some sort of acknowledgement.

"Well, I'm _not_ talking to you, so you can shut your trap," he responded, still facing away from her.

Kagome was taken aback by his harshness. "You're always so crass. What have I ever done to you? Or what has Koga ever done, for that matter? There shouldn't be any reason why we can't all get along. We could all be friends."

Inuyasha spun around to face her. "Listen, I don't got time to be fucking around with your womanly nonsense, so take your _friendship_ and shove it. Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe you're really _not that great?_ Not everyone has to like you, Kagome, and quite frankly, I find you annoying as all hell. Every time you open your mouth to say anything my dick shrivels up."

Despite herself, Kagome felt the tears that sprung to her eyes at Inuyasha's cruel words, and she blinked them back before he could notice how he had affected her; the last thing she wanted was for the dog to make fun of her for crying on top of everything else. She wanted to clap back, but she bit her lip and turned her head aside instead; she didn't have any fight left in her.

She heard the telltale padding of Inuyasha's footfalls leaving the kitchen and going up the stairs to his bedroom, followed by the reverberation of his door closing behind him.

Kagome hadn't the slightest clue as to what Inuyasha's problem with her was, and she no longer had any desire to find out; the less time she had to spend in the same room as the half-demon, the better.

–

Inuyasha felt the arrow of guilt that stabbed his heart at seeing Kagome's face crumple, wincing at his own harsh words before they had even finished leaving his mouth. He half expected her to lay into him and rip him a new one– hell, he more than deserved to have her tear him down until he was crushed like an ant beneath her shoe– but she only blinked back her tears and turned her face aside, remaining silent.

Despite their similarities in appearance, Kagome really was nothing like his ex at all, and it served to make Inuyasha feel all the more guilty for holding a grudge against her for something that was completely out of her control; sure, she _looked_ remarkably like the bitch who had broken his heart into a million pieces, but it wasn't her fault and there was nothing that she could do to change it. So why did he hold it against her?

Because he was a goddamned coward. And a fool.

Not feeling up to doing any more damage for the evening, Inuyasha turned and swiftly exited the kitchen, making his way to his bedroom without another word.

She had apologized for having wronged him, but truth be told she hadn't wronged him at all; it was Inuyasha who had his unwarranted hang ups about Kagome and Koga. He knew that if anyone should apologize, it should be him– but it'd be a cold day in Hell when Inuyasha admitted his wrongdoings.

Instead, the silver-haired half-demon popped the cap off of the bottle of bourbon and took a swig, relishing in the burn of the cheap booze as it slid down his gusset.

At least it would help him forget Kagome's face, if only for a little while. Tomorrow would be a new day.

–

 **A/N: Based on a story prompt/premise from keichanz on tumblr! Next chapter coming soon (hopefully).**


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome awoke to a pounding in her head unlike anything she had ever experienced in her young life.

 _How much did I drink last night?_ She tried to recall as waves of nausea rolled over her body, her stomach's contents threatening to make an appearance soon. As far as she could tell, she had only had several glasses of wine with dinner. So how could she be so hungover?

 _Maybe I'm dehydrated._

She sat upright in bed and swayed, bile rising in her throat; she knew that she had to get to the bathroom– and fast. Clutching her head, she cringed; her hair felt greasy, as though it hadn't been washed in days. A nice, hot shower and a glass of water would do her some good. After that, she'd have a cup of coffee to try to feel like a person again. At least today was her day off from her job; there's no way she'd have been able to work in such a condition. Her head felt as though it would split open at any second.

Daring to open her eyes, Kagome winced as the harsh light of day burned her sore and tired retinas. She blinked a few times in rapid succession as her eyes adjusted to the light; it was then, as her vision settled, that she realized that she wasn't in her room.

Posters of various bands and athletes lined the walls, with colorful sticky notes of various reminders tacked here and there in no discernible pattern. A desk against the far wall was in a complete state of disarray, and the chair that was sat before it was piled with clothes. The rest of the small bedroom was just as chaotic and disorganized; nearly every surface was covered with clutter.

Glancing down, Kagome could see that she was tucked into a bed that was not her own; whereas she expected to see her pink floral comforter, she only saw the blue jersey bedding of whoever's bed she was in. Beside her on the mattress was an empty bottle of cheap whiskey that she didn't remember acquiring nor imbibing.

The last thing she remembered was standing in Koga's kitchen with a mug of tea while he was calling her a cab to take her home. _So how did I end up here? And where is 'here?'_

Her heart began to beat madly out of fear. Had she been drugged? Kidnapped? Had she been drunker than she thought and gone to some random stranger's _bed?_

Stumbling to her feet, Kagome made her way to the door and pulled it open cautiously, peeking out into the hallway; despite her hazy state of mind, she recognized it immediately as being Koga's house.

She let out a breath of relief. Something must have happened that had required her to spend the night after all. She thought hard, trying to recall, but no explanation surfaced. At the end of the hall, the door to Koga's bedroom was closed.

Kagome opened the door wider and cried out in pain when she nicked herself on something sharp. She looked down at her leg, towards the source of the pain, and her blood froze in her veins.

She was shocked to find herself nude– as Kagome never slept in the buff– but not as shocked as she was to see the hard, veiny penis that stood at attention from between her legs.

"Oh… my…"

Kagome couldn't even finish her curse before she let out a blood-curdling scream, tripping backwards and falling into the nightstand beside the bed. The glass lamp toppled over and shattered with a crash. She brought her shaky hands up in front of herself and inspected them; they were large, masculine hands, the fingers capped by sharp white claws. A trickle of blood trailed down her thigh, and she tried to wipe it away with a finger, only to end up slicing herself once again with the sharpness of the claw.

Scrambling upright, Kagome raced to the bathroom, throwing open the door and flipping on the lights.

Haggard, golden eyes stared back at her in the mirror above the sink. Her mane was a rat's nest of silver, the tendrils falling this way and that over her defined shoulders and arms; where her breasts should have been there were only muscled pecs, and her soft tummy had been replaced by chiseled abs. Below her belly button, the usual triangle of short dark curls was now an untamed jungle of silver hair, from which the angry, blood-filled erection jutted forth, its shiny tip dark and red from arousal.

The person staring back at her wasn't her; it was Inuyasha.

Raising a hand, Kagome was devastated to see that the reflection in the mirror was indeed hers; her every movement was shown back to her, her changing facial expressions mimicked precisely.

Unable to process what was going on, Kagome screamed again. _This can't be happening. This can't be real._

"Why are you screaming so fucking early in the _goddamn morning?_ " Koga roared as he approached from the hallway. Upon seeing Kagome, he made a face. "Fuck, dude, would it kill you to put some pants on? The last thing I ever wanted to see was your junk."

Kagome stared at him with wide eyes. "Koga?"

The wolf demon scrunched his nose; his long black hair was adorably mussed from sleep, his shirt and boxers wrinkled."The fuck is the matter with you? Are you still drunk? You smell like you crawled inside of a whiskey bottle and died."

"Koga, it's me," Kagome said fearfully. "I don't know what happened to me. This isn't my body."

Koga took a step back. "You did harder drugs than just alcohol last night, didn't you? I told you I didn't want that shit in my house or I was gonna kick you out for good."

Kagome shook her head. "No, it's _me_. Kagome. Your girlfriend."

"If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny. Now hurry the fuck up. I need to shower and get to work."

She grabbed Koga by the shoulders, grimacing when she felt the cock that protruded from the bottom of her torso bouncing from the effort of her movement.

"Get the fuck off of me, man!"

"Koga, I need to know what happened last night." Kagome looked directly into his eyes. "What happened after you called a cab for me? Did I get in it? Did I make it home?"

Koga inhaled sharply. "If you don't knock it off and let go of me _right now,_ Dog Breath, I'm going to pummel you to a bloody pulp."

Kagome opened and closed her mouth but no words came out. She could hardly believe the situation herself– how could she try to explain it to Koga?

And if she was in Inuyasha's body, then where was her body? She had to go home and find out.

"Did I leave any clothes here?" she asked, releasing Koga from her grip and hurrying past him to his room. "Like a sweater or anything?"

"The fuck?" Koga raced after her as she began searching around his dresser. " _Get the hell out of my room!_ "

"Aha!" Kagome popped up from where she was digging in a laundry basket; she had found the purple university sweatshirt and banana yellow mini skirt she had forgotten at Koga's house from the day they went to the beach. She brushed past Koga and back to the bathroom to dress herself– or, rather, to dress Inuyasha's body. The petite clothes were tight on her new muscular frame, and the sweatshirt rode up to reveal her belly button.

She emerged from the bathroom to see Koga staring at her, mouth agape.

"I'll explain later," she promised, giving him a peck on the cheek before hustling down the stairs and out the front door, leaving a traumatized Koga behind her like a statue on the landing.

–

Kagome ran the entire twelve city blocks to her apartment barefoot and laid on the buzzer. When no one answered, she smashed the button repeatedly in desperation, praying for someone– specifically, _herself_ – to answer.

 _If my body doesn't answer, does that mean that I'm dead?_ she wondered fretfully.

In a fleeting moment of clarity in the midst of her panic, Kagome remembered her spare key and kicked over one of the flower pots on the front stoop of the building. She sifted through the soil until she found her set, hastily unlocking the door and racing up the stairs to her unit, taking the steps two at a time despite how hungover and fatigued she felt.

Upon entering her apartment, she was surprised to see that everything was exactly as she had left it before her date with Koga. The small galley kitchen was still neat and tidy, and it opened into her cozy living room, the contents of which appeared undisturbed. Her fat cat, Buyo, stretched lazily in his spot by the window, trotting up to greet her with a hearty meow.

"Not now, Buyo," Kagome said.

She moved through the apartment to the bedroom, pushing the door open; there, atop her pink comforter, was herself. Her body was sprawled face-down in a way that made her limbs appear broken, and a damp spot had accumulated on the fabric beneath her mouth; she was still dressed in her burgundy dress, the fabric bunched about her waist to reveal her cotton parties. Kagome couldn't tell if she was breathing or not.

Reluctantly, Kagome reached out and tapped herself hard on the shoulder. Her body didn't budge.

"Oh my God, I _did_ die," she bemoaned, clasping her face in her hands. "I died and this is Hell."

She'd have to spend an eternity in Inuyasha's body. _Yup, definitely Hell._

In a last ditch effort to wake herself, she gave her body a swift kick to the butt, and jumped in fright when her sleeping form shrieked awake.

"The hell was that for?" she snarled, opening her eyes to stare daggers at Kagome. Instantly, her expression changed, her dark eyebrows furrowing in disbelief.

"Oh, fuck. How much did I drink last night?"

Kagome recognized that tone immediately.

"Inu- _Inuyasha?_ " She felt faint; of course Inuyasha was in _her_ body. Of all the rotten luck.

"Who're you?" Inuyasha slurred, sitting up in the bed. "I mean, you're me, but– I'm me. _What the hell?_ "

He grabbed at his chest– which was actually _her_ chest– and his mouth dropped open at the fleshy mounds he found there. Kagome leaned forward and slapped his hands away.

"Don't grope my body like that!"

Jumping out of bed, Inuyasha bolted towards the door, stopping just short of the threshold when he caught a glimpse of his own reflection in a wall mirror.

" _Kagome?_ " he glanced from his reflection to Kagome– himself– and back again with wide eyes. Reaching down, he tugged fitfully at the hem of his dress. "What the fuck happened last night? _And what am I wearing_?"

"Oh, so you _do_ know my name," she huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't know what happened. Somehow, we switched bodies, because I woke up as you–"

"Wait, what am _I_ wearing?" Inuyasha repeated with a different emphasis, storming towards her this time. He pointed an accusing finger at Kagome. "Did you go _outside_ like that?"

"Well, _yes,_ I had to put on something, Mr. Sleeps-in-the-nude!"

"Then why didn't you put on any of _my_ clothes?" he shouted. "Would it have killed you to wear a pair of basketball shorts or somethin'?"

Suddenly, his face fell, his cheeks pinking. "Wait, you saw me naked?"

"It's not like I wanted to." Kagome felt her face flush. "Listen, that's not important right now. What _is_ important is figuring out what happened and how we can fix it so we can get back to normal. Let's calm down and think for a minute."

Inuyasha seemed to consider her proposition briefly, before flipping himself back down onto the bed and pulling the covers over his head. "Nah, fuck this. This has to be a dream. I'm going back to sleep until I wake up."

"Oh no you don't!" Kagome yanked the covers off of the bed. "It's not a dream. We're in this together, so we're going to work together to figure it out whether we like it or not."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Inuyasha snapped, sitting up once more. "We don't even know how this happened in the first place!"

Kagome sighed. He was right; they didn't even have a starting point or a clue to go off of. But Kagome _did_ know someone who might be able to help.

"My grandfather," she said. "He knows a lot about ancient magic and curses and mystical stuff like that. He may have an idea or at least give us a place to start."

" _Okay,_ " Inuyasha groaned, throwing up his hands. "And _where_ is your grandfather?"

Kagome fidgeted with her fingers, careful not to cut herself on Inuyasha's claws again. "He lives back home, with my mom and brother."

Inuyasha rolled his– or rather, Kagome's– eyes. "And where do they live?"

"Out in the countryside. About a two-hour drive from here."

"Great idea, genius." Inuyasha flopped backwards on the bed. "And how are we supposed to get there?"

"You have a car, don't you?"

He eyed her. "You got gas money?"

–

After changing Kagome's body into a green tank top and a pair of black yoga pants, the befuddled pair made the awkward walk together back to Koga's house in silence, with Inuyasha fuming all the way at Kagome's choice of attire for his body. He wasn't sure what annoyed him more: the ridiculous skirt that she was wearing on himself, or the strange unfamiliarity of Kagome's own body. Her bouncing breasts– although small– were uncomfortable, to say the least, and incredibly distracting; Kagome had tried to wrestle him into a bra but he had refused. Why women purposely chose to wear those suffocating titty traps was entirely outside his realm of understanding.

By the time they reached the house, Koga's black sports car was missing from the street out front, meaning that he had already left for work. Kagome thanked her lucky stars that she wouldn't have to face him again and explain why she was looking so disheveled and hanging around with Inuyasha so early in the morning. To anyone who saw them, it must have appeared to be one hell of a morning-after "walk of shame," so she could only imagine what kinds of conclusions that hotheaded Koga would jump to.

"I'm gonna go inside and grab my car keys, while you go upstairs and change myself into something more… flattering," Inuyasha instructed.

Kagome scoffed. "What, you don't think this is flattering?"

She twirled her skirt for good measure and Inuyasha felt his face– Kagome's face– flush instantly with heat.

"Damn if you don't blush easily, woman," he snarked as he checked the front door; Koga had left it unlocked, as usual.

When Inuyasha disappeared to the kitchen to fetch his keys, Kagome made her way up the stairs and to his room– the very same room that she had woken up in that morning. The state of his domicile disgusted Kagome; the man lived in absolute filth. She shifted through the pile of clothes on the desk chair, giving each one a sniff test before settling on a simple white t-shirt and gray sweatpants.

She pulled her university sweatshirt over her head and had just kicked off the yellow skirt to change when she heard the door swing open, and turned to see herself– Inuyasha– standing in the doorway.

"Inuyasha!" she shrieked, bending in an attempt to cover herself. "I'm naked, get out!"

The half-demon _tched_. "I just want to make sure you're not going to dress me in something dumb. It's not like it's anything I haven't seen before."

"It's the principle of it! _Get out!_ "

"It's _my room!_ "

"I don't care– out!" Utilizing her newfound masculine strength, Kagome pushed Inuyasha out and slammed the door shut before he could protest any further. She dressed quickly before joining him out in the hallway.

"Stop scowling, you're going to give me wrinkles," Kagome snapped as she brushed past him and headed down the stairs. With her back to him, she didn't see the way that Inuyasha mocked her.

Inuyasha's car wasn't nearly as impressive as Koga's; it was a basic sedan, at least ten years old, with pockets of rust forming here and there on the worn teal paint. As long as it had four wheels and an engine, Kagome could care less about the curb appeal. When they approached its parking spot on the street, she reached her hand out for the keys.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Inuyasha asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm you, so I'm driving.".

Inuyasha snorted. "Like hell you are."

"You don't even know where we're going."

"You can give me directions."

Kagome stared him down, using her new height advantage against her own body. "Inuyasha, if you don't give me the keys right this moment, so help me God I'll cut your cock off."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her uncharacteristic burst of brashness; perhaps being in his body was causing her to act and _feel_ more like he would. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

Not willing to take the risk, Inuyasha begrudgingly plopped the set of keys into her waiting palm, taking his spot in the front passenger seat. Kagome took her own place behind the wheel and stuck the key in the ignition; the engine turned over without a problem and soon enough they were on their way.

"Are you going to pout the entire way there?" she asked once they were out of the city, breaking the silence. Rows of farmland and fields passed on either side of the car.

"Me? I'm not pouting." Inuyasha continued staring out of the window at the scenery.

"Yes, you are."

"Maybe it's just this damn womanly body and your womanly emotions making it seem that way." _That ought to shut her up,_ he thought.

Kagome harrumphed and turned her focus back to the road. "The sooner we can get back to normal, the better."

Inuyasha crossed his arms and sank even lower in his seat. Miles passed in tense quiet before he spoke again.

"So… what did you think?" he asked out of the blue.

Kagome glanced at her passenger out of the corner of her eye. "What did I think of what?"

"You said that you saw me naked." Inuyasha shot her a devilish grin. "So what did you think of it?"

His penis. He was asking her about his penis.

Kagome groaned, shaking her head in loathing. "You're insufferable."

Despite herself, she felt her cheeks warm at remembering Inuyasha's erection; it had been one thing to see it, but to _feel_ it as a part of her had been another sensation altogether. Inuyasha's cock twitched at the memory and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I saw _you_ naked," he continued; it was obvious to Kagome that he was purposely antagonizing her, trying to rile her up to elicit a reaction. "Your tits are small, but they look nice and perky."

"I suppose it was bound to happen." She kept her eyes straight ahead and voice even, clenching her teeth. "You are in my body, after all."

"I meant that I've seen you naked _before_ today." Inuyasha smirked. "Remember the day that you and Koga went to the beach, and afterwards you used our shower because you had gotten all sandy–"

She remembered that day all too well. After spending the day down at the coast with Koga, she had returned with him to his house and asked to use his shower. While she had been soaping up, she thought she had heard the door open and shut, but had assumed that she was either hearing things or that it was Koga checking on her and thought nothing else of it. Until now.

Kagome slammed on the brakes suddenly, causing Inuyasha to be thrown forward against the dashboard.

"Where the hell did you learn to drive?!" he shouted, nursing a tender spot on his forehead from where he hit the dash that would surely blossom into a bruise eventually.

Kagome stared daggers at him; it was off-putting for Inuyasha to see his own self so angry. Kagome's heart beat like a frightened rabbit inside of his chest, quickened by the mere sight of his own threatening amber eyes. _Is that the effect I have on people? On Kagome?_

"I'm trying to remain civil with you, Inuyasha." Kagome bit out slowly, carefully. "Which frankly, in your body, is a task. You have quite the temper, and no filter. I feel like– like I want to punch something. Or _you_."

Inuyasha let out a laugh. "That sounds about right."

"This isn't easy– for either of us," she continued; Inuyasha noticed the way that her eyes– his eyes– softened as she gazed at him. "So, please, _please_ – I'm begging you to not make this any more difficult than it needs to be. For once in your life, think of someone other than yourself. Please."

She was right; by making the situation tougher on her, he was really only making it tougher on the both of them– which included himself. Plus the sooner that they could find a solution, the sooner that this nightmare would be over and she would be out of his hair– at least until she came tromping around Koga's house again.

"Fine," Inuyasha acquiesced, turning back towards the window; he wanted to say something else, something snarky, but the urge to cry was overwhelming his senses.

 _Damn her womanly emotions,_ he thought.

Kagome sighed; the day was already turning out to be the longest day of her life, and it wasn't even lunchtime.

–

After another uneventful hour and a half of driving, the Higurashi family home came into view; it was a modest-sized farmhouse set on the top of a small hill, on acres on wild land. The sprawling property had once been a large rice plantation, but after the passing of Kagome's father when she was a child the fields and structures had fallen into disarray, with the natural landscape taking over the paddies. It was only within the past few years when Kagome's younger brother Sota had come of age that renovations and updates had been made, restoring the historic farmhouse and barn to their former glory.

Kagome pulled the car up the drive, the gravel crunching beneath the tires until the vehicle came to a stop in front of the house.

"How are we going to go about this again?" Inuyasha inquired, peering up at the house. "Am I going to pretend to be you, or…"

"To be completely honest with you, I haven't thought that far ahead," Kagome laughed nervously. She didn't have much time to try to come up with a plan, either; as though he had sensed their arrival, Kagome's grandfather hobbled outside to greet them. He was a short, elderly man who leaned heavily on his cane, his gray ponytail of hair flapping in the wind as it picked up. The sky overhead was cloudy and dark, threatening rain.

Kagome swallowed. "It's Jii-chan. Let me do all the talking. Stay here."

Kagome– as Inuyasha– stepped out of the car and approached her grandfather. He smiled upon seeing her and his voice wavered with old age when he spoke.

"Ah, Kagome, so nice of you to come by for a visit."

"I told you to stay in the car!" Kagome scolded as she whipped around, expecting to see Inuyasha standing behind her. He was still seated in the passenger seat, looking at her innocently through the tinted window.

"I _am_ in the car!"

Kagome turned back around to gape at her grandfather, whose wrinkled eyes glittered with mirth as he cackled, staring up into her face– Inuyasha's face. "Kagome, I was talking to _you_."


	3. Chapter 3

Inuyasha drummed his fingernails on the tabletop as Grandpa Higurashi moved about the table, serving their tea. Kagome's nails were short and stubby and useless, not at all like the long claws that the half-demon was used to.

"Stop that," Kagome hissed from her spot across the table.

"Stop what?"

"The tapping! You're going to ruin my nails."

Inuyasha harrumphed and ceased his drumming.

"What nails?" he mumbled sardonically.

They were seated in the dining room, which had been decorated in a pseudo-traditional Japanese style; rice paper screens and various watercolor prints adorned the walls, though the table and chairs were of a modern Western style.

After Kagome's grandfather had finished pouring their cups of tea, Kagome thanked him; he sat down beside her– the real her in Inuyasha's body– and took a noisy sip of his own steaming beverage.

"What's the tea for?" Inuyasha snarked, growing more irritated by the second. "Are you gonna read our dregs for us and tell our futures, old man?"

Kagome's face burned. "Inuyasha! Don't be disrespectful!"

"It's quite alright, Kagome," Grandpa Higurashi assured her, patting her hand. He turned to address Inuyasha. "The tea is actually an ancient Chinese secret, picked up by our family's Japanese ancestors in the Feudal Era and passed down through the generations."

Intrigued, both Kagome and Inuyasha leaned forward to hear more.

"It's made from a very special blend of dried herbs and flowers," the elderly man continued. "Chrysanthemum and mint and a handful of others which I can't seem to recall at the moment."

He took another noisy slurp of his tea. Inuyasha blinked, knotting his– Kagome's– eyebrows.

"Yeah, and? What's the secret? Is it going to get us back to how we were or what?" He was getting impatient with the old man. If he had a point, he wished that he would get to it already.

Grandpa Higurashi gave Inuyasha a knowing look. "Perhaps it will put you back in your respective bodies…"

Eager to try anything, Inuyasha downed his cup of tea in a single gulp. It was warm and sweet, and settled cozily in his belly; he waited for the tingles to start, anything to indicate that the ancient Chinese magic was working, but nothing happened.

"... But mainly it helps to relieve my gastrointestinal discomfort."

Inuyasha groaned and slammed his cup back down. "Damn it!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's tone was scolding. "Forgive him, Jii-chan. He may have inherited my body for the time being, but it's apparent he didn't inherit my manners."

Inuyasha jerked in his seat at her thinly-veiled insult. "What's that supposed to mean, wench?"

Kagome ignored him. "Jii-chan, I have to ask. How did you know that I'm me? You knew as soon as I got out of the car."

"I was a trained Shinto Priest back in my day," Grandpa Higurashi said with a wag of his finger. "Recognizing when the dark magic of a demon is at work was part of my duties. Although I'm no longer employed by a shrine, I am still a holy man."

"Does that mean that you can help us or not, old man?" Inuyasha groaned.

"I'm not sure." The elderly man rubbed his chin. "This is the most powerful black magic I've ever encountered. Have you been dabbling in any dark arts or fornicating with any evil spirits recently?"

Kagome nearly spit out her tea at her grandfather's question. Across the way, Inuyasha burst into a fit of laughter, pounding his fist on the table.

"She definitely hasn't been doing any fornicating," he snickered.

"No, Grandpa, I haven't done anything like that. I went on a date last night, went to bed, and this morning we both woke up like this."

Kagome tried to think. A memory popped into her head.

'Kanna?' What kind of name is that?

It means 'God of Nothingness.'

The fortune teller booth from the mall.

"Jii-chan, you know all about the kami, right? The gods?" Kagome asked.

"Of course."

"Who– or what– is 'Kanna?'"

Grandpa Higurashi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Where did you hear that name?"

Kagome cleared her throat; she suddenly felt very parched, despite the wetness of the tea. "Yesterday, at the mall, there was one of those fortune teller machines. You know, the thing where you put in a coin and a paper fortune pops out? Well, I asked it about my boyfriend and–"

"Wait, you asked it about Koga?" Inuyasha asked incredulously. "You are such a woman."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Anyway, it was called 'Kanna's Mirror.' It had this creepy girl holding a mirror in it. But the fortune that came out just said, 'Your soulmate will appear at midnight.'"

Grandpa Higurashi closed his eyes and hummed, pondering the new information.

"I'm sorry." Kagome twirled a lock of silver hair around her finger anxiously; although it was soft, it felt thick and coarse, like fur. "That's all I can think of. But it probably has nothing to do with… this. Right?"

"I believe I have the answer," Grandpa Higurashi started suddenly, his eyes snapping open. "But neither of you are going to like it."

Kagome sat up straight in her seat. "What is it? Please tell us."

The elderly man's eyes flicked back and forth, reading the room before he spoke. Inuyasha looked about ready to pounce if he didn't tell them soon.

"The answer is simple: you two are soulmates."

Kagome felt her eye twitch. "We're… what?"

Inuyasha? Her soulmate? As if.

"Soulmates," he clarified, nodding his head. "You say you got the fortune yesterday, and then when you woke up you were not yourselves. The switch must have happened at midnight, when you were both sleeping."

"You're saying… I changed into Inuyasha at midnight… because he's my soulmate?"

Grandpa Higurashi nodded, satisfied with his conclusion. "Yup."

Inuyasha gave Kagome a perturbed look. "Kags, maybe it's about time you talk to your ma about putting the old man in a nursing home."

"I resent that, demon."

"Half-demon."

"There's no way that Inuyasha is my soulmate," Kagome laughed. "I mean, we can hardly stand to be in the same room as each other most of the time."

"Yeah, and I don't believe in soulmates," Inuyasha piped in, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands behind his head. "All that romantic crap is a bunch of mumbo-jumbo invented by Hollywood to sell movies and greeting cards."

Kagome rolled her eyes again and groaned; he was most definitely not her soulmate. She pressed her fingertips together. "So, then… say we did change because of the fortune– how do we change back?"

"That I'm not sure of," Grandpa Higurashi said. "But I would suggest going back to that fortune teller and getting a new fortune. It may trump the previous one and set you back as you were."

"Go back to the fortune teller, get a new fortune to overwrite the old one. Got it." Inuyasha rose to his feet, his wooden chair scraping back loudly from the force of his movement. "Thanks for everything, Gramps. I'm sure we won't be seeing you around."

He gestured with a thumb over his shoulder. "Come on, Kagome, let's get go–"

He was cut off by the sound of the front door opening and a woman's voice calling out.

"Dad, is someone here? I see a car in the driveway."

Kagome jumped up in a panic. "It's my mom!"

"Dad?" she called again.

"In here, Hana," Grandpa Higurashi shouted.

"Grandpa, no–"

Mrs. Higurashi entered the room, followed closely behind by a dark-haired boy of about sixteen who shared the same chestnut eyes as Kagome.

"Kagome!" he cried out, running to his sister's body and wrapping her in a hug. Inuyasha shot Kagome a look that said, "If you don't get this kid off of me now, I'm going to throw him across the room."

"Oh, Kagome! I had no idea you were coming by." Mrs. Higurashi smiled at her daughter– or rather, Inuyasha in Kagome's body. "Did you get a new car?"

"Actually, it's my car–" Inuyasha started to explain, before Kagome interjected.

"It's my car. Kagome just drove it here."

Mrs. Higurashi turned to greet the half-demon who had spoken; her gaze travelled up to the pair of pointy ears atop his head. "Oh my, I didn't even see you there! You must be Koga."

Kagome paled. "Er, actually, I-I'm Koga's roommate. Inuyasha."

"Oh, well it's lovely to meet you, dear." Mrs. Higurashi smiled a genuine, warm smile that reached all the way to her eyes. "You absolutely must stay for dinner. We're making pork dumplings. Do you like dumplings?"

"Yes," Inuyasha started to say as Kagome, practically drooling at the promise of food, but he shook his head. "But, actually, we were just leaving."

"You're not going anywhere in this weather," the older woman chided in a motherly tone. "The rain's already begun to come down and there's a tornado advisory. It's not safe."

As if on cue, the house rumbled with the roar of thunder, shaking the building to its foundation.

"Oh my, it's worse than I thought. You two had better stay until it passes."

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha; he crossed his arms and shook his head.

"We'll stay," she announced as Inuyasha, despite the real Inuyasha's disapproval, causing him to groan.

"Perfect! I'll get dinner started." With a wink, Mrs. Higurashi left the room.

"What the hell are you doing?" Inuyasha seethed as soon as Kagome's mother was out of sight.

"Keep your voice down," Kagome instructed. "Look, all we have to do is pretend to be each other until we can leave. Plus, maybe Jii-chan has some ancient artifacts or scrolls we can use. They might help."

Inuyasha tched, but didn't press the matter further. Arguing with Kagome would be fruitless. He briefly considered hopping in his car and heading to the mall without her entirely, but a sting of guilt penetrated his heart at the very idea.

Damn Kagome's body and her womanly emotions, he internally cursed for the umpteenth time that day. Besides, the mall would be mostly likely be closed by the time he got there.

Mrs. Higurashi poked her head into the dining room. "Kagome, did you want to come in the kitchen and help me?"

"Sure, mom," Kagome answered as Inuyasha without thinking.

"No," Inuyasha answered simultaneously as Kagome.

"Don't mind him– I mean, her. She'd love to help," Kagome said. She flashed her best Inuyasha-esque grin, baring her fangs. Inuyasha, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes to slits at her; if looks could kill, Kagome would have dropped dead right there on the dining room rug.

Begrudgingly, Inuyasha followed Mrs. Higurashi into the kitchen.

Kagome snickered to herself; just because they were trapped in each other's bodies, didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun messing with Inuyasha a bit. Maybe ruffling his feathers would be a humbling experience for the arrogant dog demon.

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone tapping on her shoulder. She turned to see Sota.

"Hey, Inuyasha. I just got this new video game. Did you want to play it with me while we wait for dinner?"

Kagome smiled. She had missed her younger sibling. "Uh, yeah, sure. Sounds good."

"Cool." Sota ticked his head toward the other room. "I'll set up in here."

Kagome went as though to follow him, but paused, spinning on her heel to request for her grandpa to stay quiet about her and Inuyasha's… situation.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Grandpa Higurashi assured her before she had even opened her mouth.

"Thank you, Jii-chan." Kagome placed a grateful kiss on the elderly man's cheek before heading into the living room.

–

"I'm surprised, Kagome. Normally your dumplings are much... neater than this."

Mrs. Higurashi took stock of the tray of dumplings that Inuyasha had made– or rather, had attempted to make. Most of them lay in lumpy heaps, their seams split and contents spilling out onto the paper.

"I guess my skills must've gotten rusty," Inuyasha mumbled.

"It's because you haven't come to visit for so long," Kagome's mother teased, her tone light. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, not much," Inuyasha started, tossing the dumpling he had been working on to the tray. It landed in a small, sticky heap before bursting open, losing its filling. "I've been dating this fucker of a wolf demon Koga for six months already and still won't give it up to him, and I insist on annoying Inuyasha with my goody-two-shoes presence whenever I get the chance."

Mrs. Higurashi blinked. "Well… at least you've been keeping yourself busy."

Inuyasha reached for another dumpling wrapper, but was stopped by Kagome's mother taking the tray from him.

"Why don't I finish these, and you can work on chopping the cabbage?"

–

"I can't believe you beat me again," Sota bemoaned, falling backwards on the couch. "You're as good as my sister."

Kagome smirked. "I don't think anyone's better at this game than your sister."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Are you guys dating?" Sota tilted his head towards the kitchen to indicate that he was talking about Kagome.

Kagome jolted. "No! I mean, no. Definitely not. I'm actually dating– I mean, she's actually dating my roommate. Koga."

Sota appeared puzzled. "So, then, why are you here with her and not Koga?"

"We came to ask Jii-chan about something. It's no big deal." She scratched the back of her head nervously. "We're just… friends."

Kagome's heart sank; it was a lie. They weren't friends. Not even close. At the very least, she couldn't even consider themselves to be acquaintances; Inuyasha was just her boyfriend's roommate and nothing more.

"That's too bad," Sota said with a shrug. "You seem really cool. I kinda wish you were dating my sister so we could hang more."

"Trust me, I'm not usually cool at all," Kagome muttered under her breath.

–

Nothing in the world could ever beat Kagome's mom's homemade cooking. Pork dumplings, noodles, fresh veggies, and sauces made from scratch filled the center of the table, tantalizing Kagome with their flavorful aromas. She noticed that her sense of smell was heightened in Inuyasha's body, among other things; her eyes noticed motion much more easily and she was constantly on alert. She also felt much less winded after performing physical tasks such as running or taking the stairs. Even the hangover that she had woken up with had dissipated by the time she had gotten to her apartment that morning; she attributed it to the half-demon's increased metabolism, which she also assumed was the reason for her appetite. She felt hungrier than she ever had in her life, and piled her plate until it was teeming with dumplings.

"What have you been learning about in school, Sota?" Kagome asked between bites. She was eating like an absolute pig, she knew, but she didn't care.

Sota shrugged. "We started doing algebraic proofs in math class, which I hate. But I tried out for the soccer team and made it to varsity."

"That's amazing! Which position?"

"Forward."

Mrs. Higurashi emerged from the kitchen then with a bottle of sake and some glasses, setting them on the table before each adult.

"Ooh, is that sake?" Inuyasha reached across the table and snatched the bottle, taking a moment to peruse the label before twisting off the metal cap. "This is the good shit, too."

Mrs. Higurashi watched with amusement as her daughter took a swig straight from the bottle.

"Kagome, I didn't realize you were quite the drinker now."

"She's not," Kagome said between gritted teeth, focusing her red-hot glare on Inuyasha.

"Ah." Mrs. Higurashi smiled, rising from her seat. She returned from the kitchen a moment later with a second bottle of the rice wine. "I wasn't expecting you to visit, otherwise I would have bought more. What brings you here?"

Inuyasha downed the rest of his bottle of sake and sighed contentedly, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Special occasion."

"Oh? What's the occasion?" Mrs. Higurashi raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued.

"Didn't you hear?" Inuyasha slurred, the sake affecting him instantaneously; Kagome's petite body took to the drink much harder than his own. "Koga has asked Kagome to move in with him."

He set the bottle back down on the tabletop with a clink. "Which means that, sooner or later, I'm gonna be out on the streets."

Kagome groaned. putting her face in her hands. Grandpa snored, having apparently fallen asleep sitting up at the table. The remainder of the Higurashi family exchanged looks.

"Why are you talking about yourself in the third person?" Sota asked. He leaned towards Kagome in Inuyasha's body. "My sister is so weird sometimes."

"She's just having an off day, is all," Kagome growled. "But that's not why we're here. We just came to ask Jii– Grandpa Higurashi about something. Nothing important."

She popped another dumpling into her mouth; she had already polished off her entire plate and hadn't even begun to feel the slightest bit full. Inuyasha's hunger was insatiable.

Mrs. Higurashi somehow continued to maintain a polite and amiable air about herself. "So, Inuyasha, how did you and Kagome meet?"

"Well," Kagome started, swallowing the mouthful of food she had been chewing. "We met through Koga. I'm his roommate."

She remembered the day she had met Inuyasha. It had been awful, as most of her memories concerning him were.

"I– Kagome had just started dating Koga, and I– she went over to his house for the first time." Kagome paused, finding the words. "Inu– I mean, I guess I had been drinking all day, and so when I answered the front door to see a strange young woman standing on the front stoop, I didn't handle it well."

Inuyasha straightened up in his chair, watching her intently as she told the story.

"I think I mistook her for someone else, because I began cussing her out immediately." Kagome stared at Inuyasha directly. "And then I got this look in my eye, and I grabbed her by the shoulders, and I… tried to kiss her."

Inuyasha didn't remember that part of the story. How sloshed had he been? He tried to remember, but nothing came up; surely he would have remembered trying to play tongue hockey with Kagome.

Kagome felt her cheeks redden recalling their near-kiss. "Kagome was so caught off guard, she nearly fell off the front porch. Luckily, Koga showed up just in time to stop him– I mean, to stop me."

When she turned her gaze up, she met Inuyasha's eyes– her eyes– as they burned into her. The expression on his face was indecipherable.

"Well, it sounds like that was quite a way to make a first impression," Kagome's mother giggled. "And now you two are such good friends."

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, causing the lights in the dining room to flicker briefly.

"Oh, dear. It seems as though the storm has only gotten worse." Mrs. Higurashi's gaze trained on the ceiling, as though by doing so she could see straight through to the sky. "You two will just have to stay the night. It's much too late to head back to the city now, anyway."

Stay the night? With Inuyasha here? Kagome thought fretfully, dreading the prospect. No way. We have to get back and change back.

"There's not enough room for the both of us," Kagome insisted. "I'm sure the storm just sounds worse than it is. We'll be fine."

A crack of thunder like a semi-truck crashed overhead, shaking the house and filling their ears. The lights flickered again.

"Welp, that settles that. Guess I'll take the couch," Inuyasha grumbled, reaching for the second bottle of rice wine. Kagome snatched it away first.

"Nonsense." Mrs. Higurashi waved off his statement with her hand. "You can both stay in Kagome's room. I'll have Sota set up the air mattress for Inuyasha on the floor. If that's alright with you?"

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, who only shrugged, his indifference fueled by alcohol. His eyelids drooped.

"That's… fine," she sighed in defeat.

Inuyasha took another gulp of sake. "Whatever."

–

After forcing Inuyasha to bid her mother goodnight on her behalf, Kagome and Inuyasha retired to her childhood bedroom. It was just as she had left it after her high school graduation; the walls were still plastered in the same rosy wallpaper dotted with flowers, her twin-sized mattress still covered by the same white duvet.

More than anything, Kagome wanted a shower, so after offering Inuyasha a pillow and a blanket for the air mattress she made her way to the bathroom, careful to lock the door behind herself. After a hasty shower that she spent mostly with her eyes closed, she jumped out and wrapped herself in a towel.

I can't avoid it forever, Kagome thought. If I'm going to be in Inuyasha's body, I have to try to get used to it.

Drawing in a breath, she peeled the towel away from herself.

"I'll have to deal with this sooner or later," she mumbled to herself for courage, turning to face her reflection in the steamy-edged mirror. The amber orbs of Inuyasha's eyes stared back at her, blinking whenever she blinked. Curious, she brought a clawed hand to her abdomen, touching the hard muscle there and flinching when the sensation caused her stomach to flutter. His body was strong– perhaps even more so than Koga's– his toned arms and legs rippled with sinew.

She trailed her hand downward, to the patch of silvery hair below her abs, and pulled lightly at the tuft. Other than the hair there, underneath his arms, and on his head, Inuyasha was hairless.

Daring to allow her hand to travel down even further, Kagome hesitated upon reaching that part of the half-demon's anatomy that she was most afraid of: his cock.

It wasn't that Kagome had never seen a man's penis before, she had just never been close enough to touch one– especially one that was attached to her person.

Pinching the flaccid tip between her fingers and giving it an experimental tug, Kagome winced at the sensation that resulted; it was odd and unfamiliar, but not altogether unpleasant. It would take Kagome some getting used to; she wondered how she would be able to use the toilet.

She almost felt guilty for exploring Inuyasha's body, but had to remind herself that Inuyasha would most likely do the same– if he hadn't already.

A sudden series of knocks at the bathroom door startled Kagome.

"Hurry up in there," Inuyasha snarled. "Your body has to pee and I can't hold it anymore."

"Alright, jeez."

Kagome wrung out Inuyasha's mane and dressed quickly in the same t-shirt and sweatpants from earlier before exiting the bathroom, nearly running into Inuyasha on her way out.

"Did you like what you saw?" Inuyasha asked smugly.

"I didn't see anything," Kagome lied.

"Well, I'm about to see everything."

With that, Inuyasha brushed past Kagome and into the bathroom, shutting the door behind himself.

"You better not!"

The only response that reached her ears was the sound of the running water of the shower turning on.

–

Perhaps Kagome looked similar to his ex-girlfriend in passing, but upon closer inspection in the mirror he realized that the two women really looked very different. Kagome's frame was shorter, and more petite. Her breasts were smaller but more shapely, her hair thicker and more voluminous, and her waist had a slightly more pronounced natural curve. Her pink lips were fuller, and her cheekbones weren't as high.

The biggest difference was in the eyes; Kagome's eyes were a lighter brown, almost hazel, and they were larger and more innocent. Kinder, even.

If Inuyasha could admit it to himself, he would find Kagome beautiful. But instead he shook his head to clear such thoughts away.

He realized that the opportunity was there to explore the rest of her womanly body, but something stopped him. Whether it was the sliver of what remained of his conscience or the effects of the alcohol that had begun to churn his stomach, he wasn't sure; after showering (not because he felt that he needed to, but because he wanted to wash the noxious smell of Kagome's perfume from her skin) and clothing himself, he rejoined Kagome in her bedroom.

She was laying on her bed with her back to him; he believed her asleep, until she rolled over once she heard him enter the room.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" she inquired sarcastically.

"I'm not even sure your body would know how to respond if I tried," he replied. Flipping onto the air mattress, he let out a breath, staring at the ceiling.

Kagome huffed with indignity. "Well, don't even think about trying."

Inuyasha turned to face her; she was watching him with his golden eyes, her lower lip protruding in a pout. He was pensive for a moment before speaking again.

"Is it true what you said?"

Kagome's brows drew together quizzically. "About what?"

"That story about the first time we met. Did I really try to kiss you?"

Kagome blushed. "Yes. You actually tried to do more than that, but I'm not surprised that you don't remember. You seemed pretty… out of it."

Inuyasha sighed, swiping hair out of his face with a hand. "That was a rough time for me. I must have thought you were… someone else."

"Who?"

Inuyasha's answer was flat: "Kikyo."

"Who's Kikyo?"

"The wench who stomped on my heart until there was nothing left."

"Like an ex-girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry," Kagome said. She worried the edge of the blanket between her claws. "How did you two break up?"

Inuyasha turned away from her, eager to drop the subject. "Enough with the fucking questions."

Rolling back over to face the wall beside her bed, Kagome sighed. "First thing tomorrow we'll go to the mall and go to that machine."

When Inuyasha didn't respond, Kagome snuggled further beneath the blankets. Her heart– or rather, Inuyasha's heart– hurt for him. She had never considered that he could be capable of love or having his heart broken. But, she supposed, he was human. Half-human, at least.

As horrible as Inuyasha was to her, she didn't think that he deserved such pain.

"Goodnight, Inuyasha."

Goodnight, Kagome, Inuyasha answered in his head, unwilling to say the words aloud.


	4. Chapter 4

An incessant ringing roused Kagome from her slumber much earlier than she would have liked. Groaning, she rolled over, wincing at the sunlight that streamed in through the window. The ringing continued.

It took her a moment to recognize where she was, but upon remembering that she was in her room at her family's house she sat up straight in the bed. Inuyasha lay unconscious in her body on the air mattress on the floor, snoring softly.

The ringing started again, and Kagome realized that it was her cellphone. She pulled it out of her pocket and paled upon seeing the screen; a dozen text messages and five missed calls from Koga. Of course he would be worried after not hearing from her for over twenty-four hours.

He was still calling her.

I can't answer him as Inuyasha! Kagome panicked.

Seeing no other choice, she reached over and shook Inuyasha's sleeping form violently; he snorted awake.

"Inuyasha," she hissed. "You have to answer my phone."

"Wha-? What time izzit?"

"Time to wake up. Here." She thrust the phone into Inuyasha's hand.

Scowling, Inuyasha pressed the device to the side of his face. "Ullo?"

"Kagome." Koga's voice on the other end of the line was a breath of relief. "I've been trying to call you since yesterday. Are you alright?"

Inuyasha looked at Kagome, who urged him to speak.

"Yeah. I'm… fine."

"You don't sound fine." He was concerned. "What did you do last night?"

Kagome cupped her mouth in a whisper. "Tell him I wasn't feeling well and I'm sorry that I didn't answer his calls or texts–"

Inuyasha grunted, shoving the phone back towards Kagome. "Ugh, I'm not doing this."

"Yes, you are!" Kagome pushed the device back toward him. "You have to!"

"Who's that?" came Koga's voice through the receiver. "Is somebody there?"

Fine, Inuyasha thought resentfully. If Kagome was going to force him to talk to Wolf Boy, then he'd talk to Wolf Boy.

"Actually, yeah, somebody is here," Inuyasha started in his best innocent tone. Kagome's face reddened from the rage that bubbled up within her.

"W-who?"

"Just some random guy I took home from the bar last night."

"Stop that!" Kagome reached for the phone but Inuyasha turned away from her, causing her to lose her balance; she fell off of the bed and landed on her face on the floor beside the air mattress.

"Is that Inuyasha?" Koga's tone was tense.

Kagome shook her head at him but Inuyasha only smirked. "Sure is. Wanna talk to him?"

"What the hell are you doing with Inuyasha?"

"We spent the whole day together, then I brought him home and we fucked all night–"

Kagome grabbed for the device. "Give me the phone!"

"–since you haven't been taking care of my womanly needs, I decided to find satisfaction elsewhere, with a demon who actually knows how to pleasure a woman."

Koga's voice was a shout. "Kagome, where are you? I'll wring his fucking neck!"

In a desperate attempt to get the phone away from Inuyasha, Kagome leapt to her feet and smacked it out of his hands; it tumbled through the air before landing with a clack on the floor, breaking into multiple pieces.

"Just because your love life is miserable, it doesn't mean you have to ruin mine!" she admonished, stomping her foot. Angry tears pricked at her lashes.

Sighing in frustration and defeat, Kagome bent to pick up the shattered pieces of her phone. "Now what is he going to think? It's not like I can call him and explain the situation."

"Oh, come on, I was just messing with Koga. He could never blame you for anything."

Despite his arrogant demeanor, Inuyasha did feel slightly remorseful. Had he gone too far? Meddling in Kagome and Koga's relationship– which was none of his business– might have been a bit much. But for some reason that he couldn't pin down, he couldn't stand the two of them together.

Why?

–

After a terse breakfast with Kagome's family, she had Inuyasha bid her mother goodbye as she left for work and her brother as she left for school; she wanted more than anything to hug them herself– as herself– but resigned to keeping up appearances by continuing to act as Inuyasha.

Grandpa Higurashi gifted the cursed pair with a box of miscellaneous religious paraphernalia before wishing them luck, seeing them off as Inuyasha pulled the car down the drive and into the road. Kagome sat in the passenger seat this time, pulling the artifacts out of the box one by one to inspect them.

"A mummified demon heart? Not sure what we'd do with that." She rummaged around some more, pulling out something that looked like a strip of beef jerky. "Not even sure what part of the demon's body this used to be."

Inuyasha gripped the steering wheel with both hands until his knuckles turned white. "Can you stop talking? My head is fucking killing me."

"That's because it's my head, and my head isn't used to drinking so heavily." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"But I only had one bottle of sake."

Kagome rolled her eyes. How he didn't realize that a whole bottle of wine in her weak, human body would hit him like a truck was beyond her; it was simple math.

Then again, she had witnessed firsthand on many occasions how thick Inuyasha's skull could be.

"So, we're going to go to the mall, get a new fortune, switch back to normal, and then I'm going to go over to Koga's and try to undo the damage you've done."

"Are you still hung up on what happened this morning?" Inuyasha groaned. "Give it a rest. I was just havin' some fun."

"Yes, I am still hung up on it, because it's my life and my relationship and I care about Koga enough to not want to hurt him."

"But you don't love him."

"I–" Kagome stopped short. "That's none of your business."

"It doesn't have to be," Inuyasha said. "Just stating my observation."

"Well, your observation is wrong."

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"Then why won't you sleep with him? Or move in with him? Or say 'I love you' back to him whenever he says it?"

Kagome squinted her eyes at Inuyasha. "How do you know so much about our relationship? It's not like you and Koga are buddies, so I know he hasn't been telling you these things."

Inuyasha pointed at Kagome, to the ears on his head. "I've got super sensitive hearing. Every time you and Koga have a 'heart-to-heart' I can hear every word you say. It's actually pretty fucking annoying."

Kagome pressed her lips into a thin line. He had a point; the walls of Koga's house were old and incredibly thin. For a half-demon like Inuyasha, overhearing their private conversations would be easy– possibly even involuntary.

With a huff, she crossed her arms. "I still don't get why you care so much about our relationship, anyway. I think you're just jealous."

Inuyasha let out a laugh that was too forceful to be convincing. "Me? Jealous of you and Wolf Breath? Hilarious."

Smiling smugly to herself, Kagome turned to look out the window. "Yup, definitely jealous."

Inuyasha growled. "Listen, wench. I'm not jealous. Not even close. So get the idea out of your stupid little brain. I tried that relationship shit once and it didn't work out, and I'd rather die than deal with it again."

"Because of Kikyo?" Kagome thought of their conversation the previous night. "You shouldn't give up just because of her. You need to find the right person. Someone who cares about you. Someone who knows you better than you know yourself."

"Is that what you have with Koga?"

"We're not talking about me. We're talking about you, Inuyasha."

"No one knows me better than I know myself. No one's even tried. It's too late to start now."

"It's never too late for love," Kagome said with a smile as she turned her gaze back to the passing scenery on the side of the road.

Although Inuyasha didn't want to take her words to heart, he did.

–

The mall was busy, as it was mid-afternoon on a Sunday, and Inuyasha circled the car around the lot a few times before finding a spot.

"The sooner we get in, get the fortune, and get out, the less likely we'll run into someone who recognizes us," Kagome said as they walked briskly towards the front, ducking into the automatic doors to the mall. They had to cut through the major department store to get to the mall concourse, which they would then have to cross to get to the food court.

No sooner had she said the words that she recognized a trio of girls at the end of the aisle,

perusing the jewelry counter.

"Oh no," Kagome grieved under her breath.

"What is it?"

"It's…"

Eri noticed the pair first, who then informed Yuka and Ayumi; all three turned to see Kagome and smiled, their jovial expressions quickly falling upon seeing her companion. It was too late to hide; they'd been spotted.

"Whatever you do, don't tell them what's going on," Kagome instructed to Inuyasha under her breath as the girls approached.

"Kagome!" Yuka shrieked first, running up to greet her. "Who is your handsome friend here? Where's Koga?"

Inuyasha– as Kagome– turned to give Kagome a smug grin at being referred to as "handsome."

"He's another wolf demon, like Koga," Ayumi stated observantly; at hearing her innocent but incorrect observation, it was Kagome's turn to smirk. Inuyasha frowned.

"Wait a minute!" Yuka shouted suddenly. "This is Koga's roommate, isn't it? The half-demon?"

The other girls gasped at Yuka's revelation.

Oh, boy, here we go, Kagome thought.

"I think you're right, Yuka," Ayumi agreed.

"Kagome, what are you doing with him?" Eri admonished. "You hate him. You said he's nothing but a stubborn, inconsiderate, drunken, hotheaded scoundrel."

Kagome felt her face– Inuyasha's face– redden at her friend's comment. Everything she had ever told her gal pals about the half-demon had been shared in confidence– or so she had believed.

"It's not what you think," Kagome started. "We're just shopping for– for–"

Inuyasha finished her sentence for her. "Battery-operated vibrators and penis-shaped lollipops. Heard there was a store here that sold those."

The trio of girls blinked at their friend. Kagome paled. Oh, how she wanted to sock him. But she had to remind herself that she'd only be hurting herself.

"Ignore him– I mean, her. Isn't she funny? Actually, we're shopping for a gift for Koga," Kagome lied. "Since we both need to get him something, and since we both know Koga so well, we figured we'd do it together. As a team."

The looks on the girls' faces seemed to indicate that they believed her, although they were skeptical of her hanging out with the dog demon. Kagome breathed a small sigh of relief; as long as they bought her story for now, she could explain everything else to them later.

"So…" Eri started after a moment of silence, glancing around. "How did the other night go? We haven't heard anything from you."

Inuyasha shot Kagome a quizzical look.

"Oh, you mean Kagome's date with Koga," she said. Inuyasha snorted.

"Uh, yeah. How'd it go, Kagome?"

"Well–" Inuyasha began, ready to seize his opportunity, but was stopped by a clawed hand clapped over his mouth.

"It was nothing. He just asked her to move in with him. That's all."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"That's. All," she reiterated.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"And what did you say?" Ayumi inquired, clearly interested in the answer; if only Kagome was her right self, she could tell them. But she couldn't as Inuyasha, and especially not with the real Inuyasha hanging around.

"We- Kagome can talk to you about it another time. We really have to be going. It was nice see– meeting you girls." Kagome grabbed Inuyasha by the hand and began pulling him away.

"Sure thing," Yuka called after them. "Kagome, call me later and fill me in on all the sordid details!"

Inuyasha waited until they were out of earshot to speak. "That brunette was pretty cute."

Kagome's eyes flicked to Inuyasha as she continued dragging him through the mall. "Don't even think about it."

"Why not? She called me handsome, so it's obvious that she's into me." He shrugged. "Plus, it's like you said earlier; I need to find love again. You could put in a good word for me."

Kagome ha'd so loudly that an elderly couple jumped in surprise as they passed. "I've already put in a word about you with Yuka. A few words, actually. None of them good."

"So, you talk about me a lot?"

Kagome groaned. "That's not–"

She stopped suddenly in her tracks, causing Inuyasha to collide with her back.

"Hey, you forget how to walk or somethin'?"

"It was here," she whispered under her breath in disbelief; they had reached the food court, where Kagome found herself staring at an empty space where the fortune teller used to be.

It was nowhere to be seen. The machine was gone.

"It was right here," she repeated. The cold claws of fear began to sink into her heart.

"You can let go of my hand now."

Realizing she was still holding Inuyasha's hand in hers, she released her grip.

"This is where the fortune teller used to be?" Inuyasha asked; Kagome nodded. "So, where did it go?"

"I have no idea," she bemoaned. Her knees wobbled and she had to fight to stay upright. She had been waiting for this moment, banking on the chance to get a new fortune and get back to her normal self; to have it taken away so swiftly and without explanation or closure was beyond cruel.

A passing custodian caught Kagome's eye as he shuffled by with his cart of cleaning supplies.

"Hey!" she called out. "Where's the fortune teller machine that used to be here?"

The man only shrugged and continued walking, leaving Kagome feeling as helpless as ever.

"Well, that's just great," Inuyasha groaned. He ran an anxious hand through his hair. "No point sulking about it now, I guess. We'll just have to find another one."

Kagome perked up. "That's… actually a really great idea, Inuyasha."

"It is?" He blinked. "I mean, yeah, of course it is."

Kagome straightened up, a new resolve filling her at Inuyasha's suggestion. "We'll have to do some research and find out where we can find another one of those machines."

"Do you think it has to be the same one?"

Kagome turned to face Inuyasha and grimaced. "I'm not sure. But it's the only chance we've got."

Inuyasha nodded his understanding. "Were you trying to find one tonight? Because I have work in the morning, and it's already late. Plus, everything closes early on Sundays, so I doubt we'd even be able to get to it if we located one."

"Shoot, you're right," Kagome sighed. "And I have work tomorrow, too."

"Wait a minute." Inuyasha pressed the back of his hand to Kagome's forehead.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"You just admitted that I was right about something." Inuyasha's tone was deathly serious. "I'm making sure you're not sick or delirious or coming down with a fever."

Kagome pushed Inuyasha's hand away.

"Not such a scoundrel after all," he said smugly.

"No, you're definitely still a scoundrel." She pressed her fingers to her temples, careful not to cut herself on Inuyasha's claws; she knew that they'd have to stay as each other for at least one more day. It killed her inside.

"We should go to our respective homes and get some sleep," Kagome started. "As much as I hate to admit it, we're both going to have to go to work as each other tomorrow. So let's just get through tonight and tomorrow and we'll reconvene after work to come up with a plan. Sound good?"

Inuyasha nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, sounds good, except for one thing."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Where do you work?"

–

To keep up appearances, Inuyasha begrudgingly agreed to let Kagome drive his car; first to drop off Inuyasha at her apartment, and then to Koga's house.

"You know where my room is. Don't drink my stash," Inuyasha had warned before getting out of the car.

"Wait," Kagome said, stopping him. "I'll need your phone."

Inuyasha's jaw dropped. "Are you crazy?! I'm not trusting you with my phone!"

"What if someone calls you? It's not like you can answer as me!"

Inuyasha snorted. "If I give you my phone, then you have to give me yours. Do you really want me to have your phone?"

Kagome pressed her lips into a line; he had a point.

"Okay, fine. We'll keep our phones. But don't answer any calls. It'd be impossible to explain to anyone what's going on."

Inuyasha nodded. "Agreed."

Kagome was taken aback by Inuyasha's compliance. Well, that was surprisingly easy.

"Okay, good." Kagome started the car. "Have a good night, Inuyasha. I'll call you tomorrow after work and we'll figure out where to go from there."

"How am I gonna answer your call if I'm not allowed to answer the phone?" he asked sarcastically.

There's the difficult Inuyasha I expected.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You can answer if it's me, obviously."

"Yeah, yeah." He walked away from the car, waving over his head.

"Don't make me miss work tomorrow!" she shouted after him. He ignored her, disappearing into her building without another look back. After a few moments to compose herself, Kagome kicked the car into gear and made her way to Koga's.

Upon walking in the door to the house, she could hear the sound of the television set blaring in the other room; it probably wasn't actually that loud, but to Inuyasha's hyper-sensitive hearing, every sound was heightened.

He wasn't kidding about hearing everything in this house through the walls, she thought.

Remembering Koga's threats from earlier on the phone, she tried to enter quietly, but was cut off at the stairs by Koga's sudden appearance. His eyes were dark as he stared his roommate down. Despite his comfortable attire of a plain muscle tee and basketball shorts, his presence was intimidating.

"Inuyasha," he growled, his every hair on end. "I'm going to murder you."

He brought a hand up, ready to strike, and Kagome cowered.

"Wait wait wait wait!" she squeaked. Koga paused, his claws dangling dangerously close above her head.

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses, Inuyasha. You stole my woman from me. Now you're going to pay."

"No, it's not like that!" Kagome waved her hands in front of herself, trying to buy time as she made up an excuse. "W-we were just hanging out. As friends."

"You expect me to believe that you two are friends?" Koga seethed. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"Okay, maybe not friends friends, but she didn't know who else to turn to." She dared to peek up at him. "Let me explain?"

The wolf demon hesitated as he considered, before retracting his claws slightly. "You know, you've been acting real fucked up lately."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"See, that's exactly what I mean!"

"What?"

"You just apologized. You never apologize for anything."

"Oh." Kagome scratched the back of her head. "That's because… I've been… trying to be a better person?"

Koga took a step back. "Goddamn, that Kikyo bitch really ripped off your head and screwed it back on tight, huh?"

Kikyo. Kagome took her chance to pounce on an explanation for Inuyasha's odd behavior.

"Uh, yes. She did. That's why I've been acting so weird. Because of my break up with Kikyo."

Koga sighed. "That was like six months ago, dude. You've gotta let it go."

"I'm trying, but you know how I am," she chuckled nervously. "I'm just a stubborn old mutt."

"Ain't that the truth." The wolf demon crossed his arms, flipping his long black hair out of his face with a tick of his head. "So, tell me what you were doing with Kagome."

Kagome sucked in a sharp inhale, readying herself to lie to Koga as Inuyasha.

"She told me about your date the other night, and how you asked her to move in here."

Koga narrowed his eyes. "Go on."

"Well, she… wasn't ready for that. She didn't want to talk to her girlfriends about it, so she asked me to lend an ear. We talked all night and I ended up accidentally falling asleep at her place. Nothing happened. I swear."

Koga pursed his lips, contemplating whether or not he should believe the half-demon.

"Then what was all of that crap on the phone this morning?" he asked.

"A joke! It was all a big joke. I was just… messing around." Kagome winced at hearing herself echo Inuyasha's words from earlier. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ruffle your fur a bit. But Kagome is faithful to you. Always has been."

Then, as an afterthought. "I'm not her type anyway. You don't need to worry about us spending time together."

Kagome hummed, nodding. "You know, you said the exact same thing the last time we talked about Kagome."

She jerked. "We've talked about me– about her before?"

"Yup," Koga chuckled. "You probably don't remember since you were so plastered. But you bitched and moaned about how you'll never deserve a 'good girl' like her."

Kagome felt her ears flatten against her head. Inuyasha had said that? She couldn't help but to feel sorry for him.

"Uh, probably. I don't remember that. Must've been totally wasted." She thought for a second. "It was after my break up with Kikyo, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was." Koga almost looked sympathetic to his roommate's plight. "You were a mess for a while afterward. Shit, you still are."

"What… what do you mean?" Kagome inquired, suddenly curious to know more about the arrogant half-demon whose body she was currently occupying– not that Koga knew about that.

Koga looked at her in disbelief. "Do you want me to spell it out for you?"

She nodded meekly.

The agitated wolf demon inhaled a breath. "Well, for starters, you rarely leave your room. Which is fine by me– the less I have to see your ugly mug, the better. But when you do leave your room you leave a mess wherever you go, or you start shit with me and Kagome."

Kagome bit her lower lip, urging him with her eyes to continue.

"Then there's the shit with Kikyo," he groaned. "That's a whole other kind of mess altogether."

"I thought Kikyo and I broke up?"

Koga snorted. "So did I. But every so often you must drunk call or her something because she shows up here."

"And?"

"And, from what I can tell you guys either spend all night fucking or fighting. Or both. I honestly can't tell when you're both screaming like banshees and throwing shit around."

Kagome winced at the picture painted by Koga's words. "But… me and Kikyo aren't together now, right? Like, we're still broken up?"

"As far as I know." He scrunched his nose. "The fuck you asking me for?"

"N-no reason, sorry." Kagome shook her head. "Is there anything else?"

Koga smacked his lips. "Besides the straight diet of ramen noodles and whiskey that'll have you dead in five years, I'd say that's about it."

Poor Inuyasha. She was surprised at herself, but hearing about the half-demon's tumultuous life made her pity him; Kagome wondered how much better his life– and personality– would be if he had a friend to turn to when things got tough.

"Okay. Thank you Koga. For, uh– helping me understand."

"Sure thing." The wolf demon turned as if to go, but reconsidered, spinning on his feel to face Kagome again. "And Inuyasha, for what it's worth, I'm glad that you're trying to get along with Kagome. She's a decent and kind person once you get to know her."

Oh, Koga, Kagome thought, her heart warming at his admiration of her.

When Koga returned to the other room, Kagome allowed herself to let out a sigh and shuffled up the stairs to Inuyasha's bedroom; once there, she paused just inside the doorway to take in her surroundings. The room she found herself in was… sad.

Aside from the pile of dirty clothes on the chair that badly needed to be laundered, the rest of the room direly required a deep cleaning. The window was dusty and looked as though it hadn't been opened in ages; one corner of the room was filled with stacks of papers and unopened mail, while various empty takeout containers and bottles littered the floor, with a narrow pathway that had been cleared enough for Kagome to walk through snaking throughout the clutter. It was depressing to think of someone living in such squalor, even if that someone was Inuyasha.

After rummaging through the pile of clothing for something to sleep in, she changed quickly and threw herself onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep immediately; her last thought before unconsciousness was a fleeting wondering of what Inuyasha was doing or feeling at that moment.


	5. Chapter 5

Monday morning arrived without much fanfare. Inuyasha awoke to the first early rays of dawn feeling incredibly well-rested; it seemed that Kagome's sober body, although fully human, slept much better than his own. He considered snuggling further under the blankets for more of such soul-refreshing sleep, but remembered his promise to Kagome to get her body to work on time, and groaned out loud.

Rising with a stretch, he padded over to the wooden wardrobe on the far side of the room. Kagome's bedroom space was impossibly neat and tidy, with a color theme of pink and pale blue that reminded Inuyasha vaguely of a modern baby's nursery. The blush pink curtains matched the floral pink of her bedding, while the periwinkle-colored floor rug was almost the same shade of blue as the framed art prints that hung on the walls.

Inuyasha opened the double doors of the wardrobe and grimaced; Kagome's clothes were all so… girly. Most of her blouses were decorated with embellishments or feminine ruffles or lace, and every top he tried on was skin-tight and suffocating.

"There's gotta be something wearable in here," he grunted as he continued to dig through the small closet. He tossed a few things aside before he finally landed on a baggy dolman-style tee.

"This'll have to do."

After throwing on the light green tee without a bra, he rummaged through the drawers.

"Tank tops, socks–" he halted upon coming across Kagome's undergarments. Her panties.

An involuntary twitch in his gut tightened his core briefly; the sight of a woman's underwear– Kagome's underwear– aroused him, even in the wrong body.

Swallowing thickly, Inuyasha held up a pair to inspect them. They weren't anything special, made of simple coral-colored fabric with scalloped edges and a tiny satin bow at the top of the elastic band, but they were so Kagome that the very presence of them in his hands caused his stomach to grow ever tighter. Before he could stop himself, he raised the cloth to his nose to smell at it, eager to sniff out Kagome's intoxicating scent.

Cotton. Plain cotton. The panties smelled fresh and clean, like laundry detergent. Any lingering essence of Kagome had gone with the wash, or was so subtle that he couldn't detect it without his dog demon nose.

Surprised at himself, he threw the pair down to the floor as though they were on fire, scrunching his face in disgust.

What the fuck am I doing? he questioned himself. Those are Kagome's, for fuck's sake. Get ahold of yourself.

Even in Kagome's body, he still couldn't deny the unexplainable pull he had to her; he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame, despite finding her insufferable. It made him hate her even more.

But he still needed pants. After digging around some more he settled on a pair of black yoga pants, foregoing the underwear altogether. It was already a quarter to six, and so Inuyasha dressed himself in the outfit he had picked out. He actually felt pretty damn comfortable.

Not bothering to brush his hair or check his appearance, Inuyasha waltzed out of the apartment, whistling as he made the walk to Kagome's place of work.

–

Kagome arrived at Inuyasha's job with only mere seconds to spare. The directions that he had given her were unclear and confusing, but luckily she had remembered the name– NARAKU Manufacturing– and had spotted the sign out front after taking a wrong turn.

She ran into the building, and came face-to-face with the receptionist, a dark-haired woman with striking red eyes and pointed ears. She reminded Kagome vaguely of Koga, and she wondered if the woman was a demon as well. A plaque in front of her on the desk read, "Kagura – Office Manager" in stamped brass letters.

"Mr. Inuyasha," the woman sneered in mock formality. "Late again. Your brother will want to hear about this."

"My brother?" Kagome blinked, trying to think; she would have remembered if Inuyasha had mentioned that he had a brother.

Kagura tapped her pen on the desktop. "Feigning ignorance? That's a new one."

"Is he… is he here?"

"He's in his office," Kagura ticked her head towards a hall to her right. "You can go tell him yourself, or I can call him for you. Either way, you're dead meat as soon as you step out on the shop floor."

"Um, I'm already late enough as it is," Kagome said awkwardly. "I really should go clock in and get started."

The woman shrugged, the loose black locks of her coiffure swaying from the movement. "Suit yourself. It's your funeral."

Kagome twisted her hands in front of herself. "A-and where do I clock in again?"

Smacking her gum, Kagura wordlessly pointed her pen towards a set of double doors to her left.

"Right. I knew that."

Scooting past the desk, Kagome crossed through the doors to find herself in an industrial hallway of sorts; there was another set of double doors at the far end, flanked by was appeared to be an old-school time punch machine. Kagome made her way over to it and pulled Inuyasha's punch card from its spot on the wall, placing it into the machine when a name on one of the other cards caught her eye: Kikyo.

She works here, too? Maybe that's how they met.

Hoping that she wouldn't run into his ex, Kagome completed her punch and made her way through the doors to the factory floor. It was a large room that reminded Kagome of a warehouse, with fluorescent lights overhead and various whirring machines filling the space. People moved about from machine to machine, working with unidentifiable parts and placing things on conveyor belts. Inuyasha had explained that the company manufactured electrical parts, mostly for cars, but he hadn't specified beyond that.

From the other side of the room, a raven-haired woman wearing safety goggles and a white lab coat was watching Inuyasha's body as it entered the room; when Kagome locked eyes with the strange woman, she turned back to focus on what she was doing.

Before Kagome could try to figure out where she should begin, a tall, slender man in a silver suit approached her; his hair was stark white, like Inuyasha's own, and his golden eyes were narrowed at her. A purple crescent moon insignia graced his forehead.

"Inuyasha," he said, too calmly to be comfortable. "My office."

–

Inuyasha punched Kagome in for work at the coffee shop at five minutes past the hour. No one seemed to notice his tardiness as he walked from the back room to behind the counter. Two other baristas were already with working: a lanky man with a short ponytail and pierced ears, and a young woman wearing hot pink eyeliner.

"Kagome, you look a mess." The woman gasped upon seeing the state of Kagome's body. "Did you even brush your hair this morning?"

Inuyasha noticed that the name tag on the front of her green apron said "Sango."

Sango handed him an elastic hair tie that she had pulled off of her wrist. When Inuyasha only eyed it suspiciously, the woman moved behind him, gathering Kagome's thick locks into her hands.

"Hey!"

"Hold still," Sango instructed affectionately; she styled Kagome's hair into a stylishly messy topknot. From over his head, she placed a green apron around his neck and tied it. "There. Much better."

Smiling, Sango returned to stand in front of Inuyasha. "Now, do you want to tell me what's going on with you?"

"None of your business," Inuyasha snarked, his scalp still smarting from the tightness of the ponytail.

The other barista sighed. "I tried answering with that once. It didn't go well."

"That's because you're a man, Miroku," Sango snapped matter-of-factly without looking at him. "You're not allowed to keep secrets."

Miroku sighed again.

She smiled once more at Inuyasha. "Is it Koga? Did something happen between you two?"

Inuyasha bit back the urge to growl. Why does everyone always want to talk about Koga?

He was saved from having to answer by the sudden arrival of a customer, announced by the tinkle of the bell above the door.

"Hey, Hojo," Sango greeted. "The usual?"

"Good morning, Sango. Miroku." The sandy-haired young man nodded in turn to each of them; when his eyes landed on Inuyasha, they seemed to sparkle. "Kagome."

Inuyasha tched. Another one of Kagome's endless stream of suitors, no doubt. What did Hojo and Koga see in her, anyway?

The same that Inuyasha did, but refused to admit to himself.

As Sango prepared his drink, she nudged Inuyasha towards the till.

"You want to ring him up, Kagome?"

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha took his place behind the register and scanned the buttons; he understood what about half of the words meant. Trying to read all of the options on the menu was like studying a foreign language.

"What're you having, bub?" Inuyasha asked flatly.

Hojo laughed. It was a jovial laugh. Inuyasha hated his guts already.

"Same thing I always get; a grande white chocolate mocha with extra foam and a shot of caramel." He grinned.

Inuyasha groaned. Did black coffee not exist anymore?

After pressing a few random keys, a beverage and a price popped up on the screen. It wasn't whatever Hojo had said, but Inuyasha figured that it was close enough.

"One hot sugar water with milk," he announced with displeasure. "That'll be five dollars and whatever cents. Jesus Christ, that's fucking expensive."

Hojo laughed again, heartily, and counted out his bills and change before handing them to Inuyasha. "You're hilarious, Kagome."

It was a genuine compliment. Inuyasha retched. Without counting the money, he threw it all in the till, then shot Hojo a look that dared him to say something else. Of course, the man was awful at picking up subtleties.

"So, Kagome, how have you been? I saw the new chalk art you did on the sandwich board outside. It looks fantastic, as usual."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, his already barely-there patience worn thin; it was time to to clip Hojo's wings and cut the small talk.

In a flash, Inuyasha grabbed Hojo by the shirt collar, pulling him over the counter until they were nose-to-nose. "You're not as charming as you think, kiddo. I wouldn't fuck you if you were the last guy on Earth. Now get out of my sight before I claw your face off."

"Kagome!"

Inuyasha whipped around to see a large elderly woman wearing an eyepatch approach from the back of the store. When he released Hojo, the young man fell to the floor before scurrying away.

Her voice was deep and grandmotherly when she spoke again. "Might I have a word?"

–

Kagome was sat before a large mahogany desk. Sesshomaru– who, Kagome surmised, was Inuyasha's older brother– sat behind it, scribbling his signature in multiple places on some paperwork. He hadn't spoken a single word to her since instructing her to follow him to his office, and so Kagome awkwardly glanced around the room, waiting for him to speak.

Her gaze landed on a framed photo on his desk; it was of the tall dog demon, standing beside a girl who looked to be around Kagome's age or younger. She had an innocent cuteness about her, and was grinning for the camera, with dark brown hair and even darker eyes. There must have been at least a fifteen or twenty year age difference between the girl and Sesshomaru– at least, in appearance; Kagome knew that full demons could age much more slowly than humans.

"Is that your daughter?" Kagome asked, eager to break the tense silence.

Sesshomaru didn't look amused. "That's Rin, my wife and the mother of my two children. Your sister-in-law. The next time you try to be funny, I do suggest that you try harder."

Kagome shrunk into herself. "Of course."

The older demon finished writing and set his pen down. "You were late again this morning. That's the fifth time this month."

"I'm sorry," Kagome apologized. "It was a rough night… and morning."

Kagome recalled how she had awakened before sunrise in a cold sweat with a throbbing headache; it seemed that Inuyasha's body was going through withdrawals without a steady stream of liquor running through it. She could only imagine how much damage Inuyasha had done to his system to warrant such withdrawals, as his half-demon metabolism could surely more than make up for any normal amount of excessive drinking.

"Kagura did tell me that you were behaving oddly, and suggested that you may have come to work under the influence of alcohol." Sesshomaru sniffed the air. "It seems that isn't the case. Actually, you smell rather hygienic for once. I'm not sure which revelation concerns me more."

"Thank you?"

"I do believe that I've tolerated your unpredictable and unprofessional behavior long enough." Sesshomaru folded his hands on top of his desk. "I've done my duty to fulfill the promise I made to our father on his deathbed to look after you, but there's only so much I can do when it's affecting both my business and bottom line."

"Are you going to fire me?" Fear sank like a rock in the pit of Kagome's abdomen. "Please, give Inu– me another chance. I'll do better."

"Your mother babied you. That's why you turned out so weak and pathetic, with such a poor work ethic and sense of personal responsibility." Sesshomaru winced, but it was nearly imperceptible. "On top of that, your choice of attire for your shift today is... interesting, to say the least. Unless you're gunning for a promotion. However, in that case, I would say that being habitually late was your first misstep."

Kagome plucked at the buttons of the collared shirt and business-savvy slacks she had picked out for Inuyasha's body; she thought the outfit was nice.

"Seeing as you're not dressed properly for your shift anyway, why don't you take the rest of the day off and ruminate on how badly you need this job? Perhaps it will still be waiting for you when you return tomorrow." Sesshomaru collected his paperwork, rose, and exited the office, leaving Kagome speechless.

–

Kagome slumped against the steering wheel of Inuyasha's car. What was Inuyasha going to say when she told him that she had already screwed up? How would he handle it? She had promised to do her best, and yet her best had been a disaster.

Grabbing her phone from the center console, Kagome dialed his number to call him; although he would still be at her job and wouldn't answer, she figured she could leave him a message– which was why she was so surprised when he picked up the phone.

"'Ullo," he greeted through the line.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome was confused. "Why aren't you at work?"

"The old broad sent me home for the day." She could hear him munching on something crunchy; the sound was extra grating to Inuyasha's sensitive dog ears.

Blood rushed to Kagome's face as anger bubbled up inside of her. "Kaede sent you home? Why?! And what are you eating?"

"Potato chips." Another crunch. "She basically said I looked like shit and maybe I needed a day off to rest."

Kagome pressed a hand to her face with a groan. "And where are you now?"

"Your place."

"Stay there," Kagome instructed, sticking the key in the ignition and turning the engine on. "I'm on my way."

–

As soon as Kagome walked in the door to her apartment she found Inuyasha on the couch, snacking on a family-sized bag of chips that was already over half gone; she snatched them away from him with a scowl.

"Have you ever heard of portion control?" she snapped. "You're going to make me fat."

Inuyasha snorted. "Puh-lease, you could stand to gain a few pounds. Ow!"

He rubbed the tender spot where Kagome had punched him on the arm in response to his comment. She stood before him with her hands on her hips.

"I can't believe you got me sent home from work!" Her eyes widened as she noticed Inuyasha's outfit for the first time. "And what am I wearing?! You wore that to the coffee shop?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "What's the big deal? It's comfy."

"It's not appropriate for work," she said.

Inuyasha leapt to his feet, sending a flurry of chip crumbs flying. "You wanna talk about me so much, what the hell are you wearing?"

He pointed at her shoes. "You wore dress shoes to a factory job?"

Kagome floundered, feeling the shame rise within her as she remembered Sesshomaru's similar disapproval of her outfit. "Well, yeah, you didn't tell me what to wear so I went for business casual. Plus, these were the cleanest clothes I could find in your mess of a room."

"It's a factory job!" Inuyasha jabbed a finger in her direction. "Jeans and boots. It's not that difficult. I'm surprised a genius like yourself couldn't figure that out."

A light seemed to click on inside Inuyasha's brain. "Wait a minute. Why aren't you at my job right now?"

Kagome paled, bringing her fingers up in front of herself to fidget them, tenting the tips together. "I, um… also got sent home from work."

Inuyasha threw his hands up as he spun away from her. "Great! Just great!"

"Don't be angry with me! You're the one who already has a horrible track record as an employee. You're this close to being fired, and it's not my fault."

Inuyasha spun back around and flicked his hazel eyes to Kagome. "How did you know that? Did you talk to Kikyo?"

Aha, so Kikyo does work there. She wondered if she had been the woman in the lab coat.

"Nope, your brother told me," she replied. "Sesshomaru called me into his office to give you a real tongue-lashing for being late all the time."

"Ew, please never say the phrase 'tongue-lashing' about Sesshomaru ever again." Inuyasha scrunched his nose; Kagome rolled her eyes.

"You know what I meant, you pervert."

"I'm not the one talking about tongue-lashing my brother," he mumbled.

"That's not– ugh, forget it." Kagome headed towards the kitchen; she desperately needed to do something to occupy her hands before she punched clear through a wall. Dealing with Inuyasha was so– infuriating.

"I'm not the one who fucked around with a cursed arcade game because I wanted to know if my boyfriend-woyfriend–" he purposely said the word as childishly as possible as he followed her to the kitchen, "–was going to ask me to the prom."

Kagome slammed down the tea kettle she was filling with water from the tap. "Stop that!"

"Stop what? Reminding you that you're the whole reason why we're even in this mess?"

Her heart– or rather, Inuyasha's heart– raced inside of her chest. "No, stop pissing me off!"

Inuyasha let out a laugh. "Why, what are you gonna do about it? Cry? Or would you rather go running to Koga so he can pat your head and tell you what a good girl you are?"

"I'm gonna– gonna–"

Heated past her boiling point, Kagome screeched and lurched forward. Before she was aware of what she was doing, she had Inuyasha– in her smaller body– pinned against the wall. Using her newfound size difference to her advantage, she trapped Inuyasha between either of her muscular arms, his breasts smashed against her chest, pressing her hips flush against his; a jolt of electricity arrowed to her groin at the contact.

Her own face stared back at her, her hazel eyes as wide as dinner plates at her uncharacteristic brashness. Something primal surged through her veins, and Kagome was surprised to find that she had a sudden urge to claim her own mouth. To kiss Inuyasha until he shut up. To sink his body into hers until they were joined as one and Inuyasha was sobbing out her name.

Oh, my God, Kagome thought. I'm aroused by my own body. Is this what Inuyasha usually feels like, or is it just me?

Shocked and afraid of her own behavior, Kagome backed off, looking terrified. What's happening to me?

"Uh, whoa," was all that Inuyasha could say.

"Get out. Just leave me alone," she hissed, baring her fangs. "I want to be alone in my own apartment."

"Where the fuck am I supposed to go?"

"I don't care!"

Inuyasha frowned; he could feel his knees tremble from Kagome's unexpected onslaught, but he wasn't sure if it was from fear or excitement. "Fine, but I'm taking my car."

"I don't care."

Without another word, Inuyasha snatched his car keys from the counter and left, slamming the door behind him.

Meanwhile, Kagome ran to her room and threw herself face-first on her bed, muffling her screams as she released them into her pillow.

–

Inuyasha took another sip from the bottle of whiskey he was holding; it was already nearly empty and he still hadn't managed to abate the ache between his legs. Kagome's body, so deprived of sexual satisfaction for so long, had responded to their encounter with the wanton eagerness of a pubescent schoolboy, but the pleasure that had throbbed at the apex of her thighs had soon enough transformed into a dull pain.

I guess chicks can get blue balls, too, Inuyasha thought sourly. His head spun and he groaned, growing increasingly dizzy as the liquor digested.

It wasn't that he had wanted Kagome to use his own body against him– to fuck him– just that it almost seemed preferable to the unsatisfied fallout he now suffered from.

He assumed that he was so affected by Kagome's behavior because of the womanly, hormonal body he was trapped in. That had to be the reason.

He vaguely registered the sound of the front door opening and closing, and Koga's footsteps coming toward the living room. He readied himself for a tongue-lashing from his roommate– as Kagome had called it– for drinking whiskey on the couch in the middle of the day, but Koga only smiled upon seeing him.

"Oh, Kagome, you're here," he said as he entered the room, caught off-guard by her presence in his home. He was dressed professionally in a brown suit and carrying a briefcase. "Is Inuyasha home? His car's outside."

That's right, I'm Kagome, Inuyasha thought. Somehow he had momentarily forgotten.

Koga plopped down on the couch beside Inuyasha and leaned into him, grasping his face with a clawed hand; Inuyasha turned to see the wolf demon's puckered lips coming towards him.

"Get the fuck offa me," Inuyasha grumbled as he shoved Koga away.

The wolf demon was affected by Inuyasha's rejection; it showed on his face as clear as day.

What a pussy.

"Did you have a rough day at work?"

Inuyasha took another swig of whiskey, polishing off the bottle. "Something like that."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Can we talk about the other night?"

"Fuck no."

Koga sighed. "Kagome, I'm sorry if I did anything to make you uncomfortable. You're the only woman for me, and I hope I'm the only wolf for you."

Inuyasha fixed his eyes on the television screen, unanswering.

"I… am the only one for you, right?"

"Yeah, sure thing." Inuyasha rose from the couch. "This body can probably handle another bottle."

He burped, throwing up in his mouth a little.

"Half bottle," he corrected himself, speaking to himself rather than Koga as he meandered to the kitchen. Koga followed after him.

"We really should talk about this," he pleaded, looking more akin to a lovesick puppy dog than a formidable wolf demon. "About us. And our future together."

Inuyasha paused his search through the cabinets to face his roommate. "Can I give you some advice, Koga?"

"Sure."

"Stop acting so desperate for Kagome's love and affection, dude. Chicks don't dig that shit." He turned back to the liquor cabinet, rummaging until he found the bottle he was looking for; it only had a few shots left in it, but Inuyasha shrugged. It would have to do.

"W-what do you mean?" Koga frowned. "I love you, Kagome. You're my woman. I would do anything for you."

"Right there," Inuyasha started. He popped open the bottle and pointed with the hand that held the cap. "That's the shit you gotta stop doing."

He tipped the bottle upside down and emptied its contents into his gusset in a matter of seconds. When the lip of the bottle released from his mouth with a wet smack, he sighed contentedly.

"And on that note, I'm going to sleep."

Koga's face lit up. "You want to stay the night?"

"I live here, why the fuck wouldn't I stay here?" Inuyasha made it to the bottom of the stairs before realizing his error. "Oh, yeah, I mean, I'm Kagome. I'm staying the night."

His body swayed, and Inuyasha had to grip onto the railing to catch his balance as he climbed the steps. He somehow made it to his bedroom door without falling.

Koga wasn't far behind him. "You're staying… in Inuyasha's room?"

"He said I could crash here." Inuyasha hiccuped.

"So, Inuyasha's not home then?"

Without responding, Inuyasha closed the door behind himself. He crawled into bed with a moan; he had missed his room, his bed, his sheets. Even though it was only a little after four in the afternoon, he was seconds away from falling asleep, feeling sorry for himself and the fight he had picked with Kagome, when the object of his thoughts manifested in the form of her name flashing across his phone screen with a simple text message:

I'm sorry.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Everything in moderation. Also, don't drink and drive, kids.**

–

Inuyasha didn't remember where he was or how he had gotten there. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was thick with a cotton-like dryness that tasted like bile. It caused his stomach to heave.

Cracking an eye open, Inuyasha immediately recognized Kagome's living room, and realized that he was laying along her sofa. A soft blanket had been placed over his body, and a pillow beneath his head; next to him on the floor was a rather pretty porcelain bowl with a colorful floral design etched into its surface. Judging by the inside of it, it had been used to catch vomit once or twice already.

With a grunt, Inuyasha forced himself up into a sitting position, damning the headache that pulsed behind his eyeballs; it was painful enough that he nearly threw up again, but he managed to swallow it down. A wet compress fell from where it had been stuck to Inuyasha's forehead and landed in his lap. Kagome was nowhere to be seen.

Inuyasha stumbled to the bathroom on wobbly female legs, desperate for something with which he could rinse the taste of stomach acid from his mouth; after sifting through the myriad of beauty products beneath the sink he found a bottle of blue mouthwash and took a swig. Unfortunately, as soon as the alcoholic sting of it burned his tongue, his body– or rather, Kagome's body– forced him to purge it the only way it knew how.

After flushing the contents of his stomach down the toilet and finally swishing some watered-down mouthwash, Inuyasha hobbled back to the couch and laid down, desperate for anything to ease the hangover he felt. It was then that the front door of Kagome's apartment clicked as someone unlocked it, and Kagome entered moments later, carrying plastic bags on her arms by the handles.

"Oh, Inuyasha, you're awake," she stated in surprise as she made her way towards him; her ears twitched as she knelt beside him and reached out a hand, placing her palm on his forehead to read his temperature. "How are you feeling?"

"Worse than horse shit," Inuyasha croaked, his voice horse.

Kagome reached into one of the grocery bags she had set on the coffee table and pulled out a bottle of purple liquid. "Here, drink this."

"Wha' is it?"

"You're dehydrated." She straightened up to stand. "It'll help replenish your fluids and electrolytes and such."

Inuyasha twisted the cap off and took a sip; it tasted sweet and salty, like grape-flavored cough syrup mixed with seawater.

"Do you think you can eat something?" She rummaged through the bags some more. "I got you some different kinds of instant ramen and chicken noodle soup. I wasn't sure what you preferred, so I bought it all."

Inuyasha stared at her. She was being nice– _too_ nice. Unconditionally nice. Nobody had ever been so nice to him before; he wondered what he had done to deserve it.

"How did I get here?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from her to focus on the far wall instead; the clock that hung there read the time as being nine o'clock in the evening. He couldn't remember anything from the last five hours. "What happened?"

"You drove your car here." Kagome pressed her lips together tightly. "Not that you were in any condition to be driving, but I'll scold you for that later when you're feeling better. Anyway, when you got here you were totally incoherent. Spewing a bunch of gibberish about… well, it's not important. I helped you to the couch and you passed out instantly. You woke up a couple of times to puke and you got pretty shaky and sweaty, but I'm just glad you made it here safe without hurting or killing somebody... or yourself."

Did Kagome actually care whether he lived or died? Her concern seemed genuine, but he was sure it was just because he was occupying her body; if he got hurt in any way while they were still stuck as each other, it would only harm Kagome's body. If he had died, maybe she would have never been able to switch back.

"Plus, if something had happened to you, and I never got to tell you about how sorry I am for earlier… well, I'd feel awful." Kagome twisted her fingers in her grip. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I really am. I lost my temper earlier. I should do better."

Then, as an afterthought: "And I _am_ really sorry about your job. I don't want you to get fired. I promise that I'll do better tomorrow."

Inuyasha nodded. "T-thank you. I appreciate it."

Kagome watched him, expectantly, and he sucked in a sharp breath; it was his turn.

"And… I'm sorry, too. About earlier. And getting you sent home from work and stuff."

It was the best apology he could muster. Still, Kagome smiled; she always did have a beautiful smile, even when it was plastered onto his own face. So warm and genuine.

"Thank you, Inuyasha."

Unsure of what to do with himself, Inuyasha toyed with the material of the blanket between his fingertips. His stomach felt hollow and painfully empty on top of the nausea.

"I think I could try to eat something."

"Of course." Kagome pulled a handful of instant noodle cups out of a bag and held them up for Inuyasha to choose. "Which one would you like?"

Sheepishly, Inuyasha pointed to his favorite brand and flavor.

"Coming right up!"

With a bounce in her step, Kagome disappeared to the kitchen to boil water, and Inuyasha let out the breath he felt as though he'd been holding in forever, his heart pounding against his ribcage; having Kagome take care of him was a wonderful change of pace, even though he felt crappier than he could ever remember feeling in his life.

She returned a few minutes later with two steaming cups of ramen; one for Inuyasha, and one for herself. Without waiting for an invitation, Kagome sat beside him on the couch, leaving an appropriate about of space between them. She handed him one of the cups, and Inuyasha took it cautiously; despite how sick he felt, the noodles smelled delicious and caused his stomach to rumble. Maybe getting some food down would be easier than he had anticipated.

Minutes passed in peaceful quiet as they each sipped and slurped at their respective noodles with chopsticks.

"What did I say to you?" Inuyasha asked after a while, breaking the silence.

Kagome glanced up from her soup to lock eyes with him. "Hm?"

"What did I say to you when I got here? You said it was mostly gibberish, but could you understand any of it?"

Kagome blushed and she hesitated to answer him; Inuyasha noticed.

She turned her eyes back down to her cup. "N-no, I didn't understand any of it. I think you mentioned Kikyo once or twice, but that's it."

Truthfully, she _had_ understood most of what Inuyasha had said; not only had he drunkenly apologized to her for their fight from earlier, but he had apologized for _everything_ he had ever done to wrong her. Not only that, but he had nearly kissed her again, just like the first time they had met– only this time he had called her by her own name and not Kikyo's. In fact, he hadn't mentioned Kikyo at all.

Even in his intoxicated state, he had been able to discern Kagome from Kikyo– and had still wanted to kiss her. Perhaps it had been easier for him since she was in _his_ body and looked nothing like his ex anymore.

Kagome felt her face warm at the memory and hoped that Inuyasha would attribute it to the heat of her soup.

Although Inuyasha didn't wholly believe her answer, he decided to drop the subject. What good would it be to pry about the fucked up things he said while drunk? Maybe Kagome was doing him a favor by not telling him.

"You know, no one's cared for me like this since I was a child." He stared at his noodles.

Kagome giggled. "Were you a hungover a lot as a child?"

Inuyasha cracked an involuntary grin at her joke. "You know what I mean, wench."

Kagome gazed at Inuyasha, resting her chin in her hand. "Did your mother used to care for you like this? Sesshomaru mentioned that you…" her voice trailed off.

Inuyasha's head snapped up. "What did he say about my mother?"

"Nothing. He just made it sound like you had a different mother than him."

"I do– I did," Inuyasha sighed. "Sesshomaru is only my half-brother. My mother was my father's second wife after he divorced Sesshomaru's mother."

"So, your mother was a human?" Kagome had never considered which of Inuyasha's parents was a human and which had been a demon.

Inuyasha nodded. "Sesshomaru's mother is a full dog demon, like our father was. That's why he thinks he's better than me. Because he has a pure bloodline."

"But, isn't his wife a human?"

Inuyasha made a face, indicating that he understood the hypocrisy of it all, but that it wasn't something that his brother acknowledged.

Kagome hummed, turning her attention back to her soup. "Well, Sesshomaru can believe whatever he wants– it doesn't make it true."

Inuyasha tingled from the inside out; having experienced enough discrimination for being a half-demon in his lifetime, hearing Kagome's words made him feel validated for the first time since his mother was alive.

"Half-demon or not, I know that– deep down– you could be a really _great_ guy if you just applied yourself." She closed her eyes. "I know you can do better, Inuyasha. If you won't do it for yourself, can you at least do it for me? Please?"

She glanced at him with a look that was a mix of hope and something else that Inuyasha couldn't distinguish; he broke their eye contact before he could discern what it was.

Kagome finished her broth with a final slurp and sighed. She rose from the couch and turned to face Inuyasha. "I know we were supposed to do our research today, but it's already late. You can stay here tonight. Is the sofa alright? If not, you can take my bed."

It was a generous offer, one that Inuyasha had done nothing to warrant deserving. Why was she being so kindly to him after all the horrid ways he had treated her over the past six months? Perhaps Koga's words had some merit; Kagome truly was a kind and decent person. A kind and decent person whom he had started to feel... _some_ way about.

Inuyasha swallowed thickly. "The sofa is… fine."

"Okay." Kagome smiled. She left the room to dispose of her ramen cup and chopsticks before heading towards her bedroom, turning around to address Inuyasha one last time.

"There's bottles of water in the fridge if you get thirsty, and snacks in the cupboard. If you need anything else, just knock on my door, okay?"

He nodded, and Kagome seemed to hesitate briefly, her lips parting as though she had something more to say. Inuyasha was about to tell her to spit it out already when she pressed her mouth into a line and slipped into her room without another word, closing the door softly behind herself.

A wave of emotion washed over Inuyasha once she was gone from his sight, and before he knew it his feet were carrying him to Kagome's door. He raised an anxious fist as if to knock, but stopped himself; why was he going to knock? What did he need from her?

Cursing himself, he padded back to the sofa and sat down, burying his throbbing head in his hands.

His life was a mess. _He_ was a mess– it didn't matter whose body he was in; _he_ was the problem. But Kagome– kind, sweet, caring Kagome… she could help him get himself together, both physically and psychologically, if she could only be there to care for him all of the time. Being around her was like a drug, one that Inuyasha couldn't get enough of, one that made him feel less miserable than he felt whenever he was alone, despite the fact that he acted cruel and aloof to avoid confronting his real feelings towards her.

Once the curse was reversed, however, she would go back to being Koga's girlfriend. Inuyasha would have to return to a life of watching from the sidelines as she made another man happy. He had never had a chance.

No, he couldn't let it come to that; he had to buy time to figure out a plan.

But what if they broke up? The longer that Inuyasha and Kagome spent in the wrong bodies, the more likely it seemed that Kagome and Koga's relationship wouldn't last; the strain that the situation was already putting on the lovebirds was apparent.

It would mean spending more time in Kagome's body, but Inuyasha was willing to do it; if there was only one thing that Inuyasha was sure of, it was that he wanted– no, _needed_ – to keep Kagome to himself for as long as he possibly could.

–

Kagome returned to Inuyasha's place of employment the following morning with a new surge of confidence. Well, maybe "confidence" wasn't the correct word; either way, she was determined not to lose Inuyasha's job.

When she had awakened that day, she found Inuyasha already gone. She had worried briefly that he hadn't gone to work in her place, until she realized that her wardrobe had been rummaged through and one of her nicer blouses and a pair of slacks were missing. Her cheeks flushed at the realization; she was slightly irked that he had infiltrated her room while she was still asleep, but it appeared that somehow, some way, their heart-to-heart the previous evening had spurred him on as much as it had herself.

Kagome herself swung by Inuyasha's room on her way to work to dress in a collared polo shirt, jeans, and steel-toed boots, before heading to NARAKU Manufacturing, clocking in with a minute to spare.

Kagura only scowled at her from her seat behind the front desk as Kagome made her way to the shop floor, unimpressed with Inuyasha's inconsistent punctuality.

Kagome felt as sure of herself as she could, until she had both feet on the concrete floor of the warehouse; she had no idea what she was supposed to do next. She didn't even know who she could ask.

Sucking in a breath, Kagome marched over to a random machine, determined to figure something out. What was that old saying? "Fake it until you make it."

On the side of the machine was a panel of buttons, none of which looked like Kagome should press. As if sending her distress, a figure manifested behind Kagome suddenly, its shadow looming over her like a sentinel.

"Are you lost?"

Kagome whipped around to find herself face-to-face with the same dark-haired woman wearing a lab coat from the day before; she was almost as tall as Inuyasha's body, and she peered up at him with expressionless hazel eyes from behind a pair of spectacles. Her raven hair was pulled back in a low ponytail.

"I, um, was just… looking." Kagome stammered, unsure of how to explain her odd behavior. She noticed the badge that hung from the lapel of her coat that read "Kikyo – Floor Supervisor."

 _I was right. She_ is _Kikyo._

Kikyo jotted down something on the clipboard she held in the crook of her elbow. Kagome gulped.

"You haven't come to work intoxicated again, have you?" Her voice was eerily flat; totally emotionless. "You know that's a fireable offense."

"No, I–"

"I covered for you once, but I won't do so again." Her eyes narrowed to slits.

"Of course, I-I wouldn't expect you to." Kagome steeled her will to not appear too intimidated by this woman. "But, if you could please _remind_ me of where I'm supposed to be right now, I would be very grateful."

With derision in her glare, Kikyo pointed her pen in the direction of a conveyor belt near the back of the warehouse, where a line of men and women were at work assembling something mechanical.

"Thank you," Kagome muttered quickly, bowing before she scurried in the direction indicated by Kikyo's pen, feeling the woman's eyes on her back the entire way.

Just from their brief interaction, Kagome could understand how a woman as cold and calculated as Kikyo could have done such lasting damage to even a callous half-demon like Inuyasha. She hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with her for much longer.

–

"Kagome, can I talk to you about something?"

Inuyasha chewed on the end of a plastic straw as he leaned over the till, staring off into space. It was after the morning rush hour, so the coffee shop was dead, devoid of any customers or signs of life aside from the two baristas standing behind the counter. After struggling through the first dozen or so drink orders, Inuyasha had actually started to pick up on most of the techniques and processes, and by the second hour of his shift was able to make most of the more popular drinks on the menu on his own. It was surprisingly easy once he had decided to try to apply himself, as Kagome had suggested.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder; he turned to see Miroku.

"Can I talk to you about something?" he repeated.

"Me? Why can't you talk to your girlfriend about it?" Inuyasha huffed. His head still throbbed slightly from his inebriation the previous day, leaving him in no mood to chit-chat. However, whether or not he agreed to listen, he knew that the scrawny man was going to blab his ear off regardless.

Miroku's face was sheepish. "Well, it's actually _about_ Sango, and since she's currently on her lunch break, I figured that now would be an opportune time to discuss it."

Inuyasha blinked slowly in his direction, clearly annoyed.

"Our annual camping trip is coming up this weekend–"

"Ugh _._ "

"And as you know, Sango and I have been together for almost five years now–"

"Ugh _._ "

"She's the love of my life, the woman I want to bear my children, and it's about time that I 'pop the question,' so to speak–"

" _Gross._ "

"So, I was wondering if you would like to come along and be witness to my proposal. Snap some photos of the moment, that sort of thing." Miroku scratched the back of his head. "Plus, I know that Sango would be overjoyed to have her best friend there for such an important moment in our lives."

Inuyasha simply stared at the man beside him, dumbfounded, unsure of how to respond to such a request.

"You're kidding, right?" he said at last.

Miroku smiled to prove his sincerity. "You could bring Koga, too. It can be like a couples' camping trip."

Inuyasha gagged. There was no way in hell that he was going to agree to a lovey-dovey, romantic getaway out in the wilderness with Koga and Kagome's mushy friends on Kagome's behalf.

 _Unless…_

An idea began to hatch in Inuyasha's brain, a way that he could use this camping trip to his advantage.

Yes, the opportunity that Miroku had presented him with would work nicely for his plan. _Very_ nicely.

–

The afternoon sun was hotter than hell when Kagome left the factory at the end of her shift, and she cursed the beautiful day under her breath as she unlocked Inuyasha's car. Sweat poured from every gland and orifice on her body, even some she hadn't known existed until today, and Inuyasha's male equipment hung uncomfortably damp inside of the pants she was wearing. The start of her shift hadn't been too bad; she learned her job mostly by watching and mimicking the other workers around her, but as the day dragged on and more and more of the machines were flipped on and operated, the inside of the warehouse had reached an unfathomable temperature. The high wattage overhead lights didn't help, either.

"Aren't demons supposed to be immune to this sort of thing?" she groaned, resting her sweaty forehead against the steering wheel. She had always assumed that those with demon blood could regulate their body temperatures better than humans, or something; she was surprised to find that Inuyasha could even sweat at all. Maybe it was because he was only a half-demon. Koga didn't sweat, as far as she knew.

Once she had rolled down the windows and downed a few sips of water from the bottle she had purchased from the vending machine in the employee break room, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Inuyasha's number. His shift would be over right about now.

It rang twice before Inuyasha picked up.

"' _Ullo,_ " he greeted.

"Hey," she sighed, relieved to hear his voice after the arduous day she had endured.

 _Why am I so happy that he picked up?_ Kagome shook her head, the white locks flapping about her face. _I'm just glad to hear my_ own _voice, because it means he hasn't gotten me killed yet. Yeah, that must be it._

She cleared her throat. "Are you done with work?"

" _Just punched out._ "

"Me too." Kagome swallowed nervously. _Nervous? Why am I nervous?_ "Are you… doing anything tonight?"

Inuyasha paused on the other end of the line.

"... _Kagome, are you trying to ask me out on a date or somethin'?_ "

She felt her face flush as red a beet. "N-no, of course not! It's just that… that…"

She thought of something quickly.

"We still need to do our 'research.' We didn't get a chance to last night, because you… _you know._ "

" _Yeah, yeah, I get it._ "

Maybe their one-on-one the night before had affected her more than she had initially thought. She had seen the side of Inuyasha that she was only privy to when they were alone and he was drunk, but somehow it had been different then the handful of times it had happened before; it was like Inuyasha's body was predisposed to a certain way of responding to the sight of her, his heart skipping a beat and fingers twitching whenever she looked at her own face or heard her own voice, so seeing Inuyasha so vulnerable in her body had caused her own mismatched body to react in a primal way.

She tried to not read too much into it, attributing such reactions to his heightened demon senses and nothing more.

" _So, where do you suggest we go?_ "

Inuyasha cleared his throat on the other end of the line, and Kagome realized he was waiting for her to speak.

"S-sorry," she stammered as she came out of her stupor. "Long day."

She sighed and straightened up in the driver's seat. "I'm going to run to my place and shower and then we can figure it out from there. Meet me there in half an hour?"

" _By 'your place,' do you mean Koga's house or your apartment?_ "

Kagome thought for a moment. "We had better go to the apartment. The less we have to deal with Koga right now, the better. I don't want him getting any more suspicious than he already is."

Inuyasha couldn't agree more, although he said nothing about it.

" _It's a date._ "

Kagome's face burned even hotter than it already was. "It's _not_ a–"

The line went dead before she could finish her protest. Shaking her head, she jammed the key into the ignition and turned the engine over, pulling out of the lot.

What Kagome had failed to notice before leaving, however, was the raven-haired, bespectacled woman who had been seated in the car parked next to her, listening to her entire phone call with rapt attention. She smirked as she watched Inuyasha drive away with narrowed eyes, already pondering exactly how she could use this new information to her advantage.


End file.
